Mercosur (the Southern Common Market of South American countries) plays an important role in global food security as a major exporter of grains and other food products—and its members face a number of serious challenges. Climate change, market instability, and protectionist policies threaten to disrupt agricultural production and trade. At the same time, these countries facing growing pressure to reduce the environmental impacts of production and better align their activities with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
These challenges and possible solutions were a focus of the Campaña Gruesa 24-25: Primer Outlook del Mercosur launch event on September 25 at the Buenos Aires Bolsa de Cereales (Grain Exchange). The event marked the start of the summer growing season in the Southern Cone, which generally lasts from October through April. The Mercosur Outlook initiative provides forward-looking analysis of agricultural production, demand, and trade for the block over the next ten years. The first report—developed by Bolsa de Cereales, Fundación INAI and Embrapa (the Brazilian Agricultural Research Foundation) with the support of the CGIAR Foresight Initiative and IFPRI—provides baseline analysis of a business-as-usual scenario, which will be the foundation for future reports. The first report will be published in the coming months.