Data or statistical facts on the situation and perspectives of agri-food systems and the impact of policies
Approximately 64% of the region's capture fisheries production in 2024 came from the Southeast Pacific. (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2026).
25% of cherry production was lost during the 2023-24 El Niño, especially in early varieties, according to the source.
70% is the potential decline in northern anchovy catch during an El Niño year, according to the estimate cited by Sonapesca.
Latin America and the Caribbean consolidated their position as one of the world's leading net exporters of aquatic animal products, registering a trade surplus of $21 billion in 2024. (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2026).
After a sharp decline linked to the 2023 El Niño phenomenon, the anchovy (Engraulis ringens) recovered remarkably in 2024, with catches increasing by almost 65%, from 3.5 million tons to 5.7 million tons. (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2026).
Nearly 30% was the year-on-year increase in grain harvests during intense El Niño events, such as 1997 and 2014-2016, due to productivity gains.
Climate models indicate the 2026 El Niño could be the strongest on record. It is estimated 50% chance of a "strong" or "very strong" event during the upcoming Northern Hemisphere winter. Some models project global temperature anomalies exceeding +2°C (Alessi,2026)
100 million people in LAC face water scarcity despite the region holding 34% of the planet's renewable freshwater (FAO, 2026).
0.6 to 1.7 percentage points of GDP could be lost by Andean countries due to El Niño, impacting agriculture, hydroelectric energy, and logistics, with the agricultural sector absorbing up to 82% of drought damages (Castellanos, 2026).
26% of climate disaster damages in LAC are absorbed by the agricultural sector on average, rising to 82% during droughts; equatorial Pacific warming also severely impacts Caribbean coastal fisheries (Castellanos, 2026).
