Data or statistical facts on the situation and perspectives of agri-food systems and the impact of policies
22 billion dollars is estimated as the potential annual economic value of traditional agricultural knowledge of Latin America applied to bioeconomy and sustainable development, including domestication techniques, cultivation, and use of native species (Velásquez, A., 2025).
38% of global agrobiodiversity is found in Latin America, a region that has contributed fundamental crops such as corn, potato, cocoa, tomato, avocado, and many others to global food, constituting a strategic asset to face climate change (Velásquez, A., 2025).
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).
75% of the genetic diversity of traditional Latin American crops has been lost in the last century, evidencing the importance of germplasm banks and in-situ conservation strategies to preserve adaptation options to climate change (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).
60% more food must be produced by Latin America by 2050 to contribute to global food security in the context of climate change, growing population, and resource constraints, requiring intensive innovation according to strategic projections (Velásquez, A., 2025).
45% could increase Latin American agricultural productive efficiency through the coordinated implementation of digital transformation strategies, including adapted mechanization and robotics, digital innovation, and artificial intelligence according to CAF projections (Velásquez, A., 2025).
35% could increase the contribution of the agricultural sector to the Latin American bioeconomy through the implementation of emerging technologies and circular approaches throughout the production chain, according to prospective analysis included in CAF's strategy (Velásquez, A., 2025).
5,000 years of artificial selection have been necessary to develop the main variants of food crops we know today, highlighting the patient work of generations of farmers to adapt plants to specific conditions (Velásquez, A., 2025).
65% of small and medium Latin American farmers lack access to adequate financing to adopt technological changes, which is identified as a critical barrier to the materialization of innovations according to CAF diagnostics (Velásquez, A., 2025).
