Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Agriculture

New Atlas for Agriculture in the Americas: an attractive and accurate portrayal of the agriculture sector

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

It presents the main indicators with respect to agricultural activity in the hemisphere and is available in print or on the web at atlas.iica.int. The ebook version will be launched in the next few days.

Atlas de la Agricultura de las Américas

San Jose, 1 November 2019 (IICA). The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) launched the Atlas for Agriculture in the Americas, an attractive and modern-looking publication that compiles agricultural indicators such as income generation, employment and food. It also contains accurate data on the sector’s impact on the economy and trade in the region.

The Atlas was presented during the 2019 Conference of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas, hosted by IICA this week in Costa Rica.

The brainchild of the Institute’s Directorate of Technical Cooperation, the publication was presented to the main agricultural authorities of the Americas, who took part in a two-day discussion on the economic, social, environmental and demographic challenges being experienced by the sector.

This first edition of the Atlas provides an overview of the situation in the Americas, as a leading player in the world agrifood market, and systematizes information about its main crops, according to area under cultivation and the volume of exports of each country in the Andean, Central, Southern, Caribbean and Northern Regions.

It also includes important information about the meat and dairy export market for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), as well as information related to sustainable agriculture.

Manuel Otero, the Director General of IICA, explained that, “The Atlas attempts to illustrate the important share of the world agrifood market that the region enjoys. This one publication—the first of its kind—collates current data and useful information for decision-making by the agricultural authorities of our Americas”.

The publication is available at atlas.iica.int. There is also a print version of more than 60 pages, featuring iconography, illustrations, photographs, graphics and other elements. Coming soon is an ebook version, which will be available for download.

According to IICA Economics Specialist, Eugenia Salazar, the information in the Atlas will be periodically updated, and the aim is to ensure that it is easy to digest and understand.

According to data from the Atlas, LAC currently accounts for close to 14% of total global agrifood exports. During 2017, net exports from the region amounted to USD 148 billion, which is equivalent to 2.6 dollars exported for each dollar imported.

Today, the region’s countries lead the international market in tropical fruit, coffee, roots and tubers, oilseeds and cereals, among other products.

Moreover, last year, the agriculture sector generated 4.6% of LAC’s GDP and 14% of total employment in the region. 

More information:
Eugenia Salazar, Economics Specialist, IICA. 
eugenia.salazar@iica.int

Download atlas

 

Share

Related news​

El presidente de la Bolsa de Cereales de Buenos Aires, Argentina, Ricardo Marra, durante su participación en el diálogo hemisférico Experiencias transformadoras y escalables para una nueva generación de políticas públicas para los sistemas agroalimentarios.

San José, Costa Rica

October 10, 2025

At IICA Headquarters in Costa Rica, Ricardo Marra, President of the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange, calls for all stakeholders to be involved in the construction of sustainable agrifood policies in order to produce better

He emphasized the importance of the issue during the hemispheric dialogue, “Transformative and scalable experiences for a new generation of public policies for agrifood systems”

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

San José, Costa Rica

October 10, 2025

Experts from international organizations, attending a meeting at IICA, argued that the challenging global environment calls for a new generation of public policies for agrifood systems

Various experts from international organizations attending a meeting at the Headquarters of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) agreed that the challenging global environment of geopolitical changes, extreme weather phenomena and ecological transformations calls for the development of a new generation of public policies for agrifood systems.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

México

October 8, 2025

Gisela Illescas Palma, a rural leader enamored with the countryside and a promoter of sustainable development and a unique coffee brand, is named an IICA Leader of Rurality of the Americas

Illescas stands out for her work aimed at driving the development of dozens of farming families in her region, her efforts to defend rural women’s rights, and her passion for the land and coffee, which serves as an inspiration for others.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins