Publication Date
Spring 2025
Document Type
Senior Integrative Project
Abstract
This study critically analyzes the nexus between climate change and food insecurity in Latin America, with a particular focus on Costa Rica’s agricultural sector. It interrogates how industrial agricultural practices, deforestation, and trade liberalization have contributed to environmental degradation and heightened socio-economic vulnerabilities, especially among smallholder farmers. Through the lens of political ecology, this research situates these dynamics within the broader context of neoliberal and neo-extractivist development paradigms, which have systematically eroded food sovereignty. This study also evaluates agro-ecological responses, particularly agroforestry, as viable strategies for promoting ecological resilience and socio-economic equity. In doing so, it underscores the imperative of transitioning toward regenerative agricultural models that center equity, sustainability, and climate resilience by advancing them as essential strategies for addressing food insecurity and transforming food systems.
Recommended Citation
Hernandez-Webster, Leila, "Food Insecurity in Latin America: Climate Change, Industrial Agriculture, and the Case for Regenerative Solutions" (2025). CISLA Senior Integrative Projects. 89.
https://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/sip/89
Included in
Agriculture Commons, Environmental Sciences Commons, Latin American Languages and Societies Commons
The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author.