Data or statistical facts on the situation and perspectives of agri-food systems and the impact of policies
3,500 years old are the first documented potato crops in South America, a tuber that in the 17th century saved Europe from famine, becoming one of the main contributions of the New World to global food security (Velásquez, A., 2025).
Approximately 500 years have passed since the conquest of the Inca Tupac Yupanqui over the 'Palta Culture' settled in present-day Loja, Ecuador, an event that originated the most common name for avocado in South America and its diffusion in the Inca Empire (Velásquez, A., 2025).
8,000 years old are the earliest evidences of avocado use in Mesoamerica, with archaeological evidence of its food and ritual importance in pre-Incan cultures from approximately 1500 B.C. in South America (Velásquez, A., 2025).
51% of global investment in research and development corresponds to North America and Europe, while Asia represents 39%, leaving only the remaining 10% for other regions including Latin America, according to UNESCO data (2021) (Velásquez, A., 2025).
1% of GDP exceeds Brazil's investment in science and technology, being the only country in Latin America and the Caribbean that reaches this threshold, according to CAF's Agricultural Prosperity Strategy based on UNESCO data (Velásquez, A., 2025).
2% of global investment in agricultural research and development corresponds to Latin America and the Caribbean, well below North America and Europe (51%) or Asia (39%), according to UNESCO data (2021) cited by CAF (Velásquez, A., 2025).
190 thousand million metric tons annually reach the volume of international corn trade, a cereal that evolved from teosinte thanks to domestication by the Aztecs and other indigenous peoples of Mexico and Central America (Velásquez, A., 2025).
7,000 germplasm accessions of Andean potato are preserved at the International Potato Center, with an estimated 4,000+ Andean varieties being edible, constituting an important treasure of world agrobiodiversity (Velásquez, A., 2025).
2,800 million dollars annually represent Mexico's avocado exports to the world, positioning itself as the main global exporter of this fruit, followed by Peru with approximately 1,200 million dollars (Velásquez, A., 2025).
