Food Security Policies in Latin America

The report examines how Latin American countries responded to the 2006–08 food price crisis, noting a prevalence of short-term 'coping' strategies over long-term 'curing' measures. While social programs in countries like Brazil and Mexico improved food access for the poor, trade-oriented responses often increased barriers, hindering regional cooperation. The document argues for a balanced approach that combines social protection with investments in agricultural research and development to address structural vulnerabilities.

• During the 2006–08 period, food prices rose rapidly, reaching a 60 percent increase by July 2008 compared to the average prices of the previous decade.
• Policy responses in Latin America were dominated by short-term economic measures focused on controlling food prices, often neglecting medium and long-term needs to increase production.
• The food crisis triggered political and conceptual debates regarding 'food security', the 'right to food', and 'food sovereignty', with the latter emphasizing local production by small-scale farmers and expressing skepticism toward modern technology and trade.
• Trade-oriented policy responses, such as export bans and tariff reductions, were frequently used to secure domestic supplies but may have discouraged domestic production expansion and increased global prices.
• Social programs to improve food access for the poor were implemented in several countries, including conditional cash transfers in Mexico and the 'Hambre Cero' program in Brazil.
• Regional intergovernmental initiatives, such as the ALBA Food Security Fund with an initial capital of USD 100 million, were established, but the report suggests these had little practical impact on creating multilateral institutional mechanisms or improving regional trade.
• Between 2002 and 2009, 11 Latin American countries passed food security laws, with some, such as Venezuela, Ecuador, and Guatemala, explicitly including food sovereignty in their legislation.
• Agricultural research and development investment in most Latin American countries is approximately 0.5 percent of agricultural GDP, significantly lower than the 2–3 percent invested by developed countries, with Brazil being a partial exception at nearly 1 percent.

APA

Piñeiro, M., Bianchi, E., Uzquiza, L., & Trucco, M. (2010). Food Security Policies in Latin America. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/food_security_policies_latin_america.pdf

Chicago

Piñeiro, Martin, Eduardo Bianchi, Laura Uzquiza, and Mario Trucco. Food Security Policies in Latin America. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2010. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/food_security_policies_latin_america.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Piñeiro |first1=Martin |last2=Bianchi |first2=Eduardo |last3=Uzquiza |first3=Laura |last4=Trucco |first4=Mario |title=Food Security Policies in Latin America |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=June 2010 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/food_security_policies_latin_america.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{pieiro2010food, author = {Piñeiro, Martin and Bianchi, Eduardo and Uzquiza, Laura and Trucco, Mario}, title = {{Food Security Policies in Latin America}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2010}, month = jun, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/food_security_policies_latin_america.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }