The importance of global agriculture is obvious.
In the year 2050 we need, as a planet,
to feed approximately 10bn people.
That cannot be done
with the scheme we currently have.
We cannot continue
to cultivate and expand the cultivation area,
as we are currently doing across the planet,
because that is affecting climate change
in an significant way.
So, we need
the collaboration of
companies,
governments
and society itself,
to begin to be aware of how we eat, 
in what way we eat,
and how much we are eating these foods.
When you look at the economies of the region
and of Latin America,
it can be seen that in Mexico,
agri-business represents
between 6% and 7% of GDP.
In Argentina it is around 16% of GDP.
In Colombia the number is between 11% and 10% .
So, that is, 
the weight of agriculture in the region's
GDP is really very significant.
I consider that Latin America has
extremely important competitive advantages
in the agribusiness sector.
One is that we are located as a region
in two hemispheres. 
That gives us some advantages, 
because in certain seasons
we can grow in the southern hemisphere 
when conditions are favourable,
and when they reverse,
we can do so in the northern hemisphere.
I believe that gives us a great competitive advantage.
Another competitive advantage
is that we are close
to an extremely important consumer market
which are the Canadian
and the US,
with which Mexico has a signed a treaty
that facilitates the exchange of goods,
including agricultural issues.
Mexico has a significant amount of trade agreements.
I believe that South America,
the Southern Cone and the Andean region
should try to replicate that
and explore options
to be able to sign trade agreements
that help to sell the agricultural
products they are growing,
Another of the advantages that I see
are the expanses of land 
that we have in the region.
We have a fair amount of land
that, as we all know,
helps crop efficiency.
In addition to that,
we have
extremely important water reserves,
which are a critical input for agriculture,
and gives us a great competitive advantage. 
The challenges facing agribusiness
regarding the generation of quality
and reliable food 
to feed the population,
have a lot to do with 
the development of a model that allows
the producer to maintain traceability in their products.
Clearly, the food consumer of today
will not only want to know 
that their food,
which was produced overseas,
was made with quality standards,
but also that it was ethically produced.
I believe that the biggest challenge will be in
having the adequate infrastructure to make
food accessible.
In technology,
from the point of view of being able to have information
regarding how this food was produced,
I believe that the global trend will be
to accompany this change.
Technology will probably occupy a very important niche,
because in order to show, maintain and have traceability, 
it will be necessary
to be able to work hard on improving information.
Climate change has clearly had
consequences in Latin American agriculture.
if you looks at the effect  of the drought in 2018,
it was about a 5-6% drop
in Argentina's GDP.
And to talk about 5% in  a country’s GDP,
of course it has an important influence.
Clearly, the strongest example is observed in Brazil,
where deforestation has been very substantial
to the detriment of soybean production,
and thus Brazil has become
the second-largest soybean exporter in the world.
At the end of the day,
what we have to think about
is that all this needs to have the awareness
of both the small producer and the large producer,
as well as the population and governments.
What would the opportunity be?
That governments should seek 
environmental policies
and seek that the producer
commits seriously to the environment
to improve environment protection.
