Data or statistical facts on the situation and perspectives of agri-food systems and the impact of policies
Formal workers earned 4.4, 2.5 and 2.4 times more than informal workers in El Salvador, Honduras and Peru (OECD, 2024).
7% of forest cover was lost between 1990 and 2020 in Latin America and the Caribbean, equivalent to 138 million hectares, highlighting the scale of landscape degradation in the region and the urgency of advancing large-scale restoration and conservation efforts (World Resources Institute, 2024).
23% of the world’s forests and 60% of global biodiversity are located in Latin America and the Caribbean, highlighting the region’s strategic importance for ecosystem and biodiversity conservation. This significant share also reflects the critical role of LAC in providing essential ecosystem services and in supporting global efforts to address environmental degradation and climate change (Worl...
58% of greenhouse gas emissions in Latin America and the Caribbean originate from land use, land-use change, and the forestry sector, highlighting the significant weight of these activities in the region’s climate dynamics and the urgent need to strengthen mitigation efforts (World Resources Institute, 2024).
The proportion of women workers in agri-food systems in El Salvador increased by 9 percentage points since 2005 (FAO, 2024).
Up to 70% of agricultural productivity growth in Latin America and the Caribbean is reduced when environmental costs are taken into account. The increase in production has been driven mainly by the intensive use of inputs rather than by technological or managerial improvements, highlighting the need for policies that integrate sustainability and innovation. (IDB, 2025)
In 2023, the relative internal productivity of the Agriculture sector in Latin America and the Caribbean was 44 (with total productivity coefficient = 100), showing its lag compared to sectors with higher productivity, according to the sectoral graph of the report (ECLAC, 2025).
Milk production at 305 days in dairy cows in El Salvador, Total production (305 d): Holstein: 6580 kg Brown Swiss: 5750 kg Jersey: 5049 kg (Castro-Montoya, 2023)
The following production systems are identified: 1. Specialized dairy system. 2. Dual-purpose system. Subdivided into a) Large extensions. b) Medium extensions. c) Small extensions. d) Subsistence dual-purpose (Subdivided into: i. High animal density. ii. Medium animal density) 3. Meat production system.
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).
