In Summary
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) aspire to become the world's food basket.
With abundant land, water, and natural resources, LAC is the world's largest net exporter of agricultural products. However, it still needs enormous growth to meet the nutritional demands of an ever-growing global population. The sector needs greater and better financing, increased competitiveness, and improved efficiency while adapting to climate change and protecting the environment, all without neglecting small producers.
Challenges and Opportunities
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) hold one third of the world's drinking water and has a large amount of potentially arable land in addition to tremendous biodiversity. LAC is home to 34% of the world's flora and 27% of all mammals. The region has the means to become a global leader in agribusiness.
However, to achieve this it faces multiple challenges. It needs to increase competitiveness and access to water and improve efficiency, all within the context marked of climate change. Variations in rainfall patterns and droughts will put the region to the test. Agribusiness must also take small producers into account, integrating them in the value chain to achieve a fair balance between production and land use. The region needs comprehensive solutions that take multiple factors into account.
Our Commitment
In Latin America and the Caribbean, family businesses account for 80% of agricultural producers, 40% of production, and two thirds of agricultural employment. However, 14 million small producers are poor and the majority of them cannot access financing. We work with financial institutions, agricultural cooperatives, and anchor companies to expand access to financing, promote rural development, and integrate small producers in the value chain. IDB Invest makes a difference by betting on sustainable, competitive, and innovative business models. We seek investments that rely increasingly on renewable energies and improved water use. We promote fair workplaces that value inclusion and diversity.
Latest projects
Ecuador
Brazil
Mexico
Regional
Mexico
Mexico
Regional
Regional
Mexico
Peru
Publications
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October 2022Digital Transformation of Agribusiness in Latin America and the Caribbean
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June 2022Remote Sensing and Artificial Intelligence Applications for Agribusiness
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September 2022Food Loss in the Agribusiness Sector: The Perspective of Companies in Latin America and the Caribbean
Carlos is the Director and Head of Agribusiness (a.i.) at IDB Invest. He is responsible for the strategy, business plan, client management, and structuring of projects for the agribusiness and forestry sector in Latin America and the Caribbean in order to drive development impact. His experience in the IDB Group has been focused on delivering development impact in the region while providing financial and non-financial solutions (including loans, trade finance, guarantees, capital markets, equity, mezzanine, blended finance, and advisory services, among others) to clients in the food value chain and forestry sectors.
Before joining the IDB Group, he held senior positions in the investment and development banking areas. He was a Structured Finance Principal Investment Officer at the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) and an Investment Banking Vice President at BBVA. While holding these positions, he led and managed over 50 corporate finance, project finance, debt capital market transactions, and participated in operations for mergers and acquisitions in the energy, transportation, oil & gas services, manufacturing, and agribusiness sectors.
Carlos earned a master’s degree in finance from the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración (IESA) and a professional degree in economics from the Universidad Central de Venezuela.
• Contact: corporatesidbinvest@iadb.org