The Outlook For Agriculture And Rural Development In The Americas A Perspective On Latin America And The Caribbean

Provides an analysis of the evolution and trends of the agricultural sector and its four main subsectors: agriculture, livestock, forestry, and fishing and aquaculture. Addresses rural well-being and agricultural and rural institutions. Highlights the price volatility and its causes and future uncertainties as a relevant factor to be considered by decision-makers in the sector.

This document is the result of a joint effort by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). In every chapter, ECLAC, FAO and IICA offer policy recommendations that they consider necessary to reinvigorate the region's agriculture. In the particular case of family farming, the report recommends a clear focus on the need to implement intersectoral policies that will retain new replacement generations and foster innovation and knowledge management. Moreover, instruments need to be developed by which these farms can successfully enter value chains.

This study analyzes the significance of new economic context in Latin America and the Caribbean for the design of policies for the agricultural sector. In addition, it analyzes and assesses recent trends in agricultural development policy in Latin America, to identify and synthesize new policy directions, and to highlight emerging challenges and avenues for policy innovation. The main conclusion of the study is that Latin American agricultural and rural development policy is at a turning point that will require bold new initiatives to improve the production performance of agriculture, reduce rural poverty, protect the natural resource base of the sector and ensure the political sustainability of economic growth. This will require a pro-active set of interventions designed at restoring the specificity of sectoral agricultural policy while maintaining consistency with the macro reforms.--Publisher's description.

First published in 1987. An evaluation of the decade, in conjunction with the 45th International Congress of Americanists, hosted by the University. of Los Andes in Bogotaì, Colombia, in July, 1985. This book grew out of a collaborative effort by North American, European, and Latin American researchers to synthesize what we have learned about the position of rural women in Latin America over the past decade.

"This publication is part of the CUREMIS series (current and emerging issues for economic analysis and policy research) of FAO regional reviews on economic and policy aspects of food and agriculture. This volume focuses on the Latin America and the Caribbean and contains four reports on: new institutions for agricultural and rural development; the changing role of women in the rural economy; innovative policy instruments and evaluation in rural and agricultural development; and rural space and territorial dimension of development in the MERCOSUR countries (a Common Market agreement between Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay)."--FAO.