FAO.org

Latin America and the Caribbean is falling short of the Sustainable Development Goal 1: Ending poverty. After two and a half decades of progress, poverty and extreme rural poverty increased by two percentage points each between 2014 and 2016. By 2017, there were an estimated 59 million poor and 27 million extreme poor in rural areas of the region.

During the last 20 years, Latin America and the Caribbean has been at the forefront of global experiences in the reduction of rural poverty. The new regional context implies that the countries of the region must not only protect the progress made in social, productive and environmental matters, but that they must also lead a new cycle of public policies that are more integrated and innovative in order to resume the path of poverty reduction and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

This new cycle of policies should be built and expanded in each country through the strengthening of more efficient, inclusive and sustainable agricultural sectors; expanded social protection, sustainable management of natural resources, rural non-farm employment and the implementation of integrated packages of rural infrastructure.

FAO calls for the elimination of rural poverty through commitment and action by a broad set of local, national and international actors. Positive results will only be achieved with adequate and inclusive mechanisms of local and national governance, the launching of a new narrative regarding poverty, and the effective and coordinated action of all actors.

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