Data or statistical facts on the situation and perspectives of agri-food systems and the impact of policies
10 strategic projects have been developed by CAF in its portfolio to facilitate technology transfer and investments in agricultural innovation in several Latin American countries, seeking to materialize emerging technologies in the regional field (Velásquez, A., 2025).
25% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from the agricultural sector, creating pressure to adopt sustainable practices and regulations that govern production and international trade according to sustainability standards (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).
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).
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).
