How to improve Latin America’s agri-food security in a changing world

Trade, innovation, and the exchange of people and ideas are fundamental components of today’s global food security system. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has observed that a fifth of all calories that are consumed in the world cross at least one border. The agriculturally rich Western Hemisphere plays a critical role in this global system. The United States, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and Argentina are among the world’s largest staple crop producers and exporters. Brazil and the United States, for example, rank first or second globally in exports by volume of corn , soybeans , and rice , while Canada is the world’s fourth largest wheat exporter. Other countries in the Americas are important producers of coffee, sugarcane, bananas, and other fr