Dedicated Bioeconomy policies since 2020

The report highlights the growing recognition of the bioeconomy in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Historically, the adoption of dedicated national strategies was relatively slow, largely due to the impact of COVID-19. Costa Rica was the first country in the region to publish a dedicated national bioeconomy strategy in August 2020. LAC countries aim to leverage their abundant natural resources for sustainable development and green growth, prioritizing the sustainable use of biodiversity and the valorization of waste biomass and side streams. Regional organizations like IICA and UN-ECLAC have placed the bioeconomy on their regional agenda , with UN-ECLAC developing a methodology for constructing Satellite Bioeconomy Accounts to measure its economic value. Since 2020, there have been notable advancements. Colombia has stood out, becoming the second LAC country to publish a dedicated national bioeconomy strategy. This strategy, rooted in the Colombia Bio program , is organized around five key areas: (i) Biodiversity and ecosystem services, (ii) Biointelligent Colombia, (iii) Productive and sustainable agriculture, (iv) Biomass and green chemistry, and (v) Health and well-being. Other regional leaders include Brazil and Argentina. Brazil is currently developing a dedicated holistic national bioeconomy strategy and has included it as one of the six missions in its Neo-industrialization Plan of Action 2024-2026. Argentina has undergone institutional developments, such as the new administration changing the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries to the Secretary of Bioeconomy. Regionally, there is a growing emphasis on a "sociobiodiversity bioeconomy" , particularly in the Amazon countries , and bio-inputs for sustainable agriculture are rapidly emerging as a key topic.