Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy

Abstract

In the 13 countries and Caribbean islands where the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) has programs in Latin America, the agricultural sector is still the dominant economic force. Over half the population of these countries lives in rural areas, in spite of high migration rates to the cities. Agriculture is the primary economic activity: Agriculture generates 68% of the foreign exchange necessary to buy imported products; it contributes 20% of the gross domestic product of these economies; agriculture is the single most important source of employment (employing from 40% in Peru to 70% in Haiti) of the entire labor force; and agriculture contributes about 50% of the value added to these economies.