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A major challenge in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is to determine how to meet the ever-growing global needs for food while preserving natural ecosystems and contributing to climate change mitigation. In the region, continuing land use is occurring and has caused a significant soil organic carbon (SOC) loss. We estimated the SOC reduction in three representative ecosystems of the region: forests (4.21 petagrams of carbon, Pg C, over 30 years), grasslands (1.86−7.32 Pg C, over different periods) and mangroves (0.36 Pg C over 25 years). Increasing SOC stocks in agricultural lands can help to mitigate the SOC loss due to land use change, but multiple factors influence the dynamics and response of the agricultural production and carbon sequestration. Farmers are pivotal actors that contribute to food production and could maintain SOC stocks; however, incentives or fair compensation must be considered to enable this. Moreover, national, and continental policies are needed for land restoration and sustainable management of soil health as a living entity through adoption of nature-positive practices which enhance soil organic matter (SOM) stocks, increase use-efficiency of inputs, and lead to nutrition-sensitive agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caribbean small island developing states (SIDS) are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Food security is a key issue in the region, and is related to vulnerability in the natural and human system. This short research paper, which reports on a systematic search of the academic literature and is part of a larger research project on climate change adaptation in Caribbean coastal communities, investigates two central questions: (1) what challenges to food security are Caribbean SIDS facing due to climate change? and (2) what strategies, if any, are being used to adapt to these challenges? We review peer-reviewed articles published after the release of Working Group II's contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2014, which included a chapter on vulnerability and impacts in small islands (Chapter 29). We find that post AR5 articles confirm that climate change will have a significant effect on agriculture and fisheries in the Caribbean, mainly through changing patterns of weather, air and sea surface temperatures, and water availability. These studies highlight the importance of considering the social dimensions of food security in the region when identifying and implementing adaptation strategies, particularly in the context of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. These social dimensions include the Caribbean's historical and social context as well as its demographics, which feature varying population densities and poverty rates. They serve to increase vulnerability but are imperative considerations for understanding and minimizing the threat climate change poses to food security in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2010, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO/RLC) have organized a series of annual regional seminars on Agriculture and Climate Change. The series stemmed by awareness about the complexity of dealing with climate change and the difficulties it poses for agriculture, the absence of agriculture in the global discussion on climate change, the neglect of climate change considerations in agricultural policies in most countries in the region, and the absence of forums for dialogues on climate change and agriculture policies. The document presents the main conclusions from the meetings, stressing: (i) the importance of including agriculture in national policy agendas; (ii) the need for policy dialogue, collaborative working arrangements, and better information and communication systems; (iii) the relevance of the evaluation of risks and vulnerabilities, adequate research and innovation agendas, traditional knowledge for adaptation, and the sustainable increase of agricultural productivity; and (iv) the crucial role of international cooperation and financing. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]