Data or statistical facts on the situation and perspectives of agri-food systems and the impact of policies
The most vulnerable people in Central America buy up to three-quarters (75%) of their food with income earned working on other farms, employment hit by the 2026 drought intensified by El Niño.
65% more employment per US$1 billion invested is generated by United States companies compared with Chinese companies, and 22% more compared with European companies.
Mexico's dairy industry generates 1.6 million jobs, according to The Food Tech infographic.
Between 4.0 and 4.99 million people are expected to need humanitarian food assistance in Colombia during the projection period through January 2027 as the negative impacts of El Niño increasingly affect livelihoods. La Guajira and Chocó are expected to remain in Crisis, IPC Phase 3, due to weather shocks, localized insecurity, reduced production and income, and prices rising above general inflat...
Between 2.0 and 2.49 million people will need food assistance in Guatemala from June to September 2026, reaching the upper end of the range between July and August as food stocks decline, income sources decrease and dependence on food purchases intensifies. From October 2026 to January 2027, the population in need is expected to decline to between 1.5 and 1.99 million.
The sector that includes agriculture, livestock, hunting, forestry and fishing employed 3.2 million people in the country during April 2026. (Unidad de Planificación Rural Agropecuaria de Colombia, 2026)
14% of the population was employed in agriculture in 2023 (CAF, 2025).
55% of rural employment corresponds to agriculture in ALC (CAF, 2025).
81% of the productive units in ALC correspond to family farming (CAF, 2025).
70% of rural employment comes from agriculture in Bolivia and Peru (CAF, 2025).
