By the end of the period, after several years of effort, agricultural technologies that are better suited to different production systems, crops, and social, economic, and ecological conditions are developed.

3.4.4.1.3 Productive agricultural systems
Policies that emphasize local sustainable development require a considerable input of agroecological knowledge, as well as the parallel development of diverse theories on the valuation of natural resources and environmental services, as an integral part of the methodology needed to estimate the economic efficiency of the new productive systems. These policies also require a high degree of social mobilization in order to be accepted. This makes the relevant technological innovation processes highly dynamic.
     Networks of advisory services are established, including public or private NGOs, for multifunctional and sustainable management of production systems, dissemination of technology, and facilitation of access to resources on the part of agricultural production systems and especially the most vulnerable ones.
     The local markets served are very limited in volume and global scope. In reality, the countries of the region have imposed reciprocal trade obstacles. Agricultural production chains are encouraged to incorporate the more vulnerable productive systems and to support them in this effort. These chains also become more limited in their geographical scope, and this facilitates the insertion of small-scale producers. The participants in these chains work to improve the productive processes and products, always with the environment as the reference point.

The pursuit of environmental sustainability as a priority objective has a strong effect on access to productive resources, for the following reasons: (1) it notably restricts the use of natural resources, such as fresh water sources, for instance; (2) it makes it easier to obtain development credits, in order to facilitate in turn the purchase of land by farmers; and (3) it demands an enormous effort to provide basic training in cultural, scientific, and technological aspects, in order to successfully rationalize and modernize production systems.
     In general, the productive systems supply relatively small nearby urban groups, because they do not have the capacity to guarantee the supply of food in the amounts and with the regularity required by populous urban centers. The largest LAC cities, including Mexico City, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Santiago, and Bogota, are abandoned by thousands of citizens without employment options or food. Many people loot supermarkets or urban stores. Others go to the countryside, and try to sustain themselves directly with certain crops that are resistant to natural disasters, and especially food crops such as rice, beans, corn, and yucca. This is another source of agricultural losses.

     3.4.4.1.4 Results of interaction among the systems Following the serious effects of climate change, a drastic change in agricultural production systems occurs. Many of the major single-crop commodity systems do not survive these changes. However, smaller integrated production systems manage to remain in operation and become stronger in this scenario. Thus, in rural milieus, the rich and the poor—

at least as regards the owners of the land—trade their positions of relative wealth. In many cases, the percentage of rich and poor also changes. The most vulnerable groups, i.e., subsistence farmers, rural wage-earners, or communities that produce for their own consumption, especially in areas that were subjected to climatic stress such as frequent floods or droughts, are the most affected by climate change. Many leave their homes and seek refuge in the cities, where there is generally not enough food and jobs for everyone.
     Moreover, the effects of climate change and the failure of many large-scale enterprises also displace unskilled workers, who previously worked in sugarcane production in Brazil, for example, or in oil palm production in Ecuador or Colombia.      With regard to income inequality, results are mixed. However, when we look at small, medium, and large landholders in agricultural production systems, we see that ownership of the land changes hands. Many rich owners leave the business and become poor, while small owners growing crops and crops systems with a lower environmental impact become stronger and grow. Rural workers, however, are frequently left without employment and need assistance to meet their basic needs. Their situation improves with policies that facilitate their access to land, water, credit, and know-how. But the employment issue is not totally resolved, because economic fragmentation causes a sharp drop in agricultural production and job creation.
     Access to basic education, health, employment, housing, and food security are objectives pursued in a heterogeneous way by the countries of the region. In the fields of education, health, and housing, the countries pioneering in social and political change begin to reap their first successes
towards the end of the period.
     Access to food in the quantities and with the regularity needed in the cities becomes a major problem, because the number of persons without regular access to sufficient quantities of food to meet their basic needs increases. This access is even more difficult for the poor, because the reduced supply of food leads to increased prices.
     During this period, agriculture undergoes a major change of objectives: it shifts from a strongly productivist approach to a profound environmentalist conviction. The quantity of chemical products applied to agriculture, such as fertilizers and pesticides, is reduced. Environmentally friendly practices and biodiversity gain ground, and although they do not always lead to greater productivity or a higher yield in the short run, they guarantee a continued supply of agricultural products in the exploited ecosystems. There is also more control over health standards, and products are required to be free of contaminants related to production technologies. These changes in agriculture mean that environmental sustainability begins to show signs of improving towards the end of this period, after a profound crisis during a good part of the previous years.

3.4.4.2 2016-2030

3.4.4.2.1 Context of AKST systems and agricultural
production
International trade barriers, and especially nontariff barriers, continue in place, but countries agree not to impose