Latin America & Caribbean

In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), governments are facing the impacts of low global commodity prices, worsening economic conditions, and related domestic turmoil, all of which have implications for the region’s food systems and social inclusion. From 2001 to 2011, a sustained period of economic growth was supported by strong global demand for commodities ranging from oil and copper to soybeans and coffee, to name just a few. The downturn in commodity prices that followed slowed annual growth in per capita income to about 0.2 percent between 2012 and 2018. Economic contraction continued in 2019, with per capita income growth projected to have fallen to –0.9 percent. Prospects for growth rebounding in 2020 remain very low.