The outlook for agriculture and rural development in the Americas A perspective on Latin America and the Caribbean 2015 - 2016: Executive summary

This edition of “The Outlook for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Americas,” covering 2015-2016, is divided into the following four chapters:

Chapter I: Macroeconomic Context: The author analyzes the evolution and outlook for financial and macroeconomic markets, which determine the conditions in which agriculture in the Americas will have to operate.

Chapter II: Sectoral Context and Agriculture: The chapter begins with an analysis of the trends in the region’s main agricultural aggregates (sectoral context), followed by the trends and prospects for the various subsectors (crops, livestock, fisheries, and forests).

Chapter III: Rural Well-being: Based on the household survey data of twelve Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries, the author discusses the situation of young people and rural women with regard to labor markets and access to assets, as well as income inequality in the rural milieu.

Chapter IV: Policies and the Institutional Framework: This section contains a review of the principal changes that have taken place in agricultural policies and the public institutional framework of the sector, both in the LAC region and among its main trading partners. It also outlines the challenges facing the region as it endeavors to achieve more competitive, sustainable, and equitable agriculture.