Organic crops are gaining ground 7/12/2012 Urge promote agroecology, the recovery of traditional practices and fair trade.

Despite being one of the largest food producers in the world, the Latin American and Caribbean region has 209 million people living in poverty—35 percent of its 595 million inhabitants—, of which 81 million suffer from hunger and undernourishment. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, or FAO, in the coming years the food crisis, fueled by inflation and a drop in production, will hit even harder.

Given the tendency of neoliberal governments to favor agribusiness, monoculture, the prioritization of agricultural production for export for which entrepreneurs look to take over productive land and water sources, it is urgent to promote sustainable agroecology, the recovery of traditional practices, as care in handling the soil, avoiding the use of chemicals and applying techniques such as crop rotation, and fair trade. —Latinamerica Press.

LATIN AMERICA Organic crops 2010 Use of organic agricultural land in the world Millions Hectares % Permanent grass-land 23.7 million 64 Arable crops 6.1 million 17 No details 4.1 million 11 Permanent crops 2.7 million 7 Other agricultural land 0.4 million 1 Total 37 million 100

 

Key organic permanent crops Crops Millions hectares % Coffee 0.64 24 Olives 0.50 18.6 Cocoa 0.29 10.8 Nuts 0.26 9.9 Grapes 0.22 8.2 Others 0.79 28.3 Total 2.70 100

 

Key arable crops Crops Millions hectares % Cereals 2.51 41.2 Green fodder from arable land 2.03 33.3 Oilseeds 0.47 7.7 Protein crops 0.30 4.9 Vegetables 0.27 4.4 Others 0.52 8.5 Total 6.11 100

 

Latin America countries with the largest areas Country Organic crops Millions hectares Argentina Grapes 3.4   Oilseeds 22.2   Olive 4.0 Bolivia Cocoa 5.2   Wild collection and beekeeping 0.83 Brazil Citrus 9.0   Cocoa 15.0   Coffee 3.4   Protein 12.3   Tropical and subtropical fruit 31.0   Vegetable 27.7   Wild collection and beekeeping 6.2 Chile Grapes 1.2   Olive 3.8 Colombia Tropical and subtropical fruit 8.1 Costa Rica Tropical and subtropical fruit 8.6 Dominican Rep. Cocoa 115.4   Coffee 17.1 Ecuador Cocoa 33.6   Tropical and subtropical fruit 8.8 Mexico (2008) Citrus 14.7   Cocoa 185.1   Coffee 6.0   Tropical and subtropical fruit 46.6   Vegetable 35.5 Nicaragua Coffee 12.2 Peru Cocoa 28.2   Coffee 136.4   Tropical and subtropical fruit 7.8

Source: Key results from the survey on organic agriculture worldwide 2012. Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Frick, Switzerland, in cooperation with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). Prepared by Latinamerica Press. Figures for 2010.

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