Food systems in Latin America and the Caribbean


Book Description

The book has been prepared by authors from different international organizations – including FAO, IFPRI, UNCTAD and ECLAC, as well as legislators and academics from prestigious Latin American universities – seeking to foster reflections for the Global Food Systems Summit, to be held in September 2021. It contextualizes the region’s food systems within a post COVID-19 pandemic scenario and raises new challenges (and opportunities) for policy makers, decision makers, the private sector, and the general public. Likewise, it offers important reflections on sustainability, from production to consumption, with the call to promote better governance of the global and regional food system. In order to face what some authors have deemed “the Syndemic of the century”, the participation of companies, research centres, academia, NGOs, government agencies and international organizations will be necessary.







Food Systems and COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean N° 7: The Role of Social Protection Measures


Book Description

As the pandemic has progressed, governments have had to face new challenges. While countries initially focused on mitigating the effects of severe health restrictions, over the weeks, their attention has shifted to a particularly serious threat: the economic and social crisis. Unfortunately, the outlook is not encouraging.Resources must be directed to those most affected by this crisis, the vulnerable population, in this case, people without sources of income (the unemployed, the elderly, children and dependents) and informal workers, a group composed mainly of young people, women, migrants and indigenous people. It should be noted that the proportion of vulnerable population is even higher in rural areas.Social protection programmes, among mitigation measures, are a fundamental right. Therefore, in this edition of the bulletin, we analyse the existing protection alternatives, with special attention to rural areas, which we cannot neglect.




Food Systems and COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean N° 11: Impacts and Opportunities in Fresh Food Production


Book Description

The agrifood sector, has not been immune to the Coronavirus, whose string of effects has interrupted the normal operation of food chains. In the agrifood sector, unprecedented problems have led to unprecedented challenges. In Latin America and the Caribbean, food production has not stopped; the workers, although with difficulties, appear at their workplaces. Therefore, when we evaluate in detail the impacts of COVID-19 on primary production, it seems evident that these have not been critical. However, we cannot lose sight of the coming agricultural seasons and monitor, with even more zeal, the disruptions in those sectors most vulnerable to this health, economic and social crisis.




Food Systems and COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean N° 12: Trade Performance During the Crisis


Book Description

This issue of the FAO-ECLAC Bulletin delves into the behaviour of trade in agricultural and fishery products during the crisis, especially those destined for food, and we will try to identify the reasons for this evolution. We also highlight the main recommendations to strengthen a positive trend in marketing.




Food Systems and COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean N° 8: The Opportunity for Digital Transformation


Book Description

The impacts of COVID-19 are growing daily. The pandemic has triggered not only a health crisis, but also an economic one. Its consequences and duration are still unknown, but we know that its impact on poverty rates and food security has no recent precedent.In such a scenario - in which achieving economic, social and environmental sustainability is increasingly indispensable for the planet - the agrifood system needs urgent and innovative solutions. In this respect, digitalization is a recommendable path to follow.Digitization has become a key driver for rural transformation, creating new opportunities for farmers. The future of agrifood systems will depend, to a large extent, on how agricultural stakeholders will be able to take advantage of the digital transformation to improve inclusiveness, efficiency and environmental impacts.







Analysis and Responses of Latin America and the Caribbean to the Effects of COVID-19 on Food Systems N° 1


Book Description

The purpose of this bulletin, published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with the valuable collaboration of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), is to support member countries in mitigating the various effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural societies, agriculture and food systems. This bulletin provides decision-makers in government, the private sector and civil society with useful information and resources to support the design and implementation of actions to combat the effects of the pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean.This edition analyzes the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on agricultural markets in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) , identifies the main measures implemented in LAC countries to minimize the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food systems, and provides an analysis of macroeconomic and sectoral information of the region.




Analysis and Responses of Latin America and the Caribbean to the Effects of COVID-19 on Food Systems N° 2


Book Description

The purpose of this bulletin, published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with the valuable collaboration of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), is to support member countries in mitigating the various effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural societies, agriculture and food systems. This bulletin provides decision-makers in government, the private sector and civil society with useful information and resources to support the design and implementation of actions to combat the effects of the pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean.This edition analyzes the different phases in managing the impact of COVID-19, good practices in policy implementation by phases in Latin American and Caribbean countries, and provides an analysis of macroeconomic and sectoral information of the region.




Food Systems and COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean N° 9: How to Reduce Food Loss and Waste


Book Description

The ongoing pandemic has threatened the food and nutritional security of millions of Latin Americans and Caribbean people. These interruptions in the links of the value chain of the agri-food system have resulted in greater food loss and waste. We are not yet in a position to say when the rate of contagion will decrease, or when we will return to normal. Such uncertainty makes it imperative to analyze how food losses and waste affect food systems, how how this can be prevented.