Abstract
The provision of enough food to secure the nutrition and well-being of every person in the world is, once again, at the forefront of the national and international agenda. This study analyzes the dependency of food imports on food availability in the countries of South America, Central America, and the Caribbean for different food commodity categories during the 2010s. The Caribbean imports a more significant proportion of its domestic food supply than the other regions. Furthermore, among the food commodities analyzed, cereals have the highest rate, averaging 80% of imports over domestic food supply for the Caribbean, 60% for Central America, and 5% for South America. Nonetheless, there are considerable differences among countries in each region; this is the case of Chile, which imports 50% of the cereals available in the country, compared with Argentina, a country that is a net exporter. There is a great opportunity to improve multilateral trade in the region. Almost half of the food imported by South American countries originates in the same region. In contrast, around 25% of the Caribbean food imports come from South America, and less than 10% of Central America’s imported food originates in South America. It is essential to understand the patterns of dependency that regions and countries have established to develop and implement measures to ensure the provision of food. Be it the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the effects of climate change, or changing political agendas, nowadays, food supply to ensure food security is at a crossroads.
Presenters
Magdalena JensenAssistant Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering, Universidad de Concepcion, Chile
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Food Production and Sustainability
KEYWORDS
Food Imports, Food Supply, Food Trade, South America
