Sustainable agri-food systems in Latin America and the Caribbean

One of the critical issues in economic development is understanding the relationship between hunger, food, and the management of agri-food systems to advance toward more just, equitable, healthy, and sustainable societies. In this context, it is important to consider at least three key elements that have been addressed in the last five years: i) the relevance that the term agri-food systems has acquired in global discussions on food and agriculture, as was the case at the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit; ii) the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, with its resulting trade restrictions, as well as those arising from conflicts such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and problems in the supply chains of global food markets; and iii) the effects on food production capacity resulting from climate change and the vulnerability of agri-food systems. In this global context, Latin America and the Caribbean is one of the regions with the greatest vulnerability in its agri-food systems. Thus, this continent has a higher prevalence of food insecurity, with high heterogeneity among its countries, and growing evidence that it will be one of the regions most affected by the effects of rising temperatures and their consequences on agri-food systems. Thus, this article presents a reflection on the global context of agri-food systems and the fundamental challenges facing the region in overcoming hunger and increasing food production, from the perspective of guaranteeing the human right to food. This article aims to contribute to the discussion of the dossier "Sustainable Agri-Food Systems in Latin America and the Caribbean," to which this issue of the journal Nature and Society: Environmental Challenges is dedicated.