Data or statistical facts on the situation and perspectives of agri-food systems and the impact of policies
300% has grown in the last decade the international trade of native varieties from Latin America such as quinoa, amaranth, maca, avocado, and specialty coffee, reflecting a growing interest in ancestral foods and agricultural biodiversity (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).
More than 130 thousand metric tons of avocado are imported from Mexico for guacamole preparation during the American Superbowl, evidencing the cultural and commercial impact of this product in the North American market (Velásquez, A., 2025).
100 years ago, in the 1920s, American postman and farmer Rudolph Hass created the avocado variety that bears his surname, combining Mexican and Guatemalan genes to obtain superior commercial characteristics (Velásquez, A., 2025).
Between 7000 and 8000 years B.C. date the records of the origin of avocado in Mexico and Central America, being one of the crops with the greatest archaeological documentation in the American continent (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).
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).
20% increase in added value have experienced traditional Latin American crops adapted to international standards, such as Hass avocado, Geisha coffee, or specific varieties of Andean potato, demonstrating opportunities for bio-businesses (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).
The article assesses the sustainability of urban agriculture in the municipality of El Alto, Bolivia, analyzing its environmental, economic, and social dimensions. Through sustainability indicators, it identifies the strengths and limitations of local agricultural practices, highlighting their role in food security, organic waste management, and income generation for urban families. The study prop...
