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​

San José, Costa Rica

July 4, 2025

A new IDB-IICA publication maps the sustainable livestock farming initiatives underway in the countries of the Southern Agricultural Council (CAS)

This document summarizes the work carried out during the first year of operation of the Sustainable Cattle Farming Platform of the Americas. This is a collaborative space managed jointly by IICA and the IDB whose mission is to contribute to information sharing, collaboration, and the generation and dissemination of knowledge on the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of livestock production systems that coexist in the different regions of the Americas.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

San José, Costa Rica

July 3, 2025

IICA promotes environmental education in the classroom with its handover of the first Urban Productive Garden in Costa Rica

Officers of IICA’s Community Outreach Association, APC, handed over tools and guides to the “República de Paraguay” school, for the purpose of establishing a productive garden.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Manuel Otero, Director General del IICA; José Emilio Guerrero, profesor de la UCO de España; Rosa Gallardo, Directora de la Cátedra de Inteligencia Artificial y Agricultura del mismo centro académico; Carlos Alzate, experto en IA y CEO de AI Fund; Gloria Abraham, Carlos Gustavo Cano Sanz, Eduardo Trigo, y Martín Piñeiro, miembros del Consejo Asesor para la Transformación de los Sistemas Agroalimentarios del Instituto; y Jorge Werthein, Asesor Especial del Director General del IICA.

San José, Costa Rica

July 3, 2025

Artificial intelligence represents a revolution with great potential for agriculture, experts say during IICA’s Advisory Council session on Agri-food Systems Transformation

During the discussion, participants emphasized the need for the integration of AI to be an inclusive process, with special attention given to small-scale and family farmers. It was also stressed that AI should not be seen as an end in itself, but rather as a means to transform agriculture with a focus on value chains.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins