Mexico, FAO Sign US$140 Million Agrifood Cooperation Framework

Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) signed the 2026–2031 Country Programming Framework (CPF), which will guide technical and financial cooperation between both parties over the next six years through a program portfolio of nearly US$140 million. 

The agreement signed by Enrique Ochoa, Deputy Minister for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, SRE, and Rene Orellana, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, FAO, seeks to accelerate the transition toward more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, while strengthening Mexico’s agricultural sector and food sovereignty. “The cooperation framework fully aligns with the commitment of the Government of Mexico to build a just and sovereign rural republic, which entails strengthening the Mexican countryside and achieving food sovereignty in Mexico by supporting the agricultural sector and protecting the rights of those who work and live in rural areas,” says Ochoa. 

Orellana says the framework comes at a decisive moment for global food systems. In 2025, global hunger declined for the third consecutive year, with 43 million fewer people affected compared with 2022. However, approximately 645 million people still face hunger, while 2.69 billion cannot afford a healthy diet.

“The world has managed to increase food production, but producing more is no longer enough. We need to produce better; ensure that nutritious food is accessible; improve the incomes and living conditions of those who produce it; and protect the water, soils, forests, seas and biodiversity on which our food depends,” Orellana says.

The CPF resulted from a participatory process and is aligned with Mexico’s National Development Plan 2025–2030, the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2026–2031 and the 2030 Agenda.

Mexico’s Agrifood Sector Faces Structural Gaps

Mexico enters this new stage with an undernourishment prevalence of 3.1% during 2023–2025, equivalent to 4.1 million people. The indicator declined from 4% in 2004–2006 and is among the lowest levels in Latin America and the Caribbean. According to the latest FAO data, moderate or severe food insecurity declined from 24.9% in 2014–2016 to 16.5% in 2023–2025, meaning that 8.6 million people were no longer in this condition over approximately a decade.

However, these improvements coexist with territorial and social gaps, with millions of people still facing difficulties accessing healthy food, water, technical assistance, technology, financing and markets.

The CPF organizes cooperation around three dimensions: people, prosperity and planet, and incorporates FAO’s four global improvements. Better production seeks to increase productivity and sustainability while expanding access to financing, technology, and markets. Better nutrition focuses on healthier food environments, public procurement, and shorter commercialization chains. A better environment promotes sustainable management of water, soils, forests, and fisheries, while a better life directs social protection, gender equality, and productive inclusion toward rural areas.

The CPF represents a program portfolio of nearly US$140 million for 2026–2031. Approximately US$54 million already has identified funding, while an additional US$86 million will need to be mobilized through international cooperation, climate and environmental funds, domestic resources, development banks, and responsible private-sector partnerships.

FAO will provide technical capacity, specialized knowledge, territorial presence and access to international financing mechanisms, in coordination with the Mexican government. “The signing of this Framework brings these capacities together around a common ambition: to turn the transformation of agrifood systems into visible results for people and territories. FAO reaffirms today its commitment to Mexico. We are prepared to turn this roadmap into stronger policies, larger-scale investments and solutions that reach those who produce our food and protect our natural resources,” Orellana says. 

Global Food Prices Add Pressure to Food Systems

The cooperation framework comes as global food markets face renewed pressure from climate conditions, geopolitical tensions and disruptions to trade flows. The FAO Food Price Index increased 1.9% in August from the previous month and 2.5% compared with the same month a year earlier. The increases were significantly higher than those recorded in July, when the index rose 0.6% month over month and 1% year over year.

Exceptionally hot summer conditions in Europe reduced crop yields, while the El Niño climate phenomenon threatens production in parts of Asia. Sugar prices increased 11.9% in August, reaching their highest level since June 2025. Wheat prices were 15% higher than a year earlier, partly due to persistent disruptions to export flows through the Black Sea linked to the Russia-Ukraine war. Corn prices increased 2.5% month over month, driven by expectations of lower yields in some regions of the United States and the European Union, higher fertilizer costs associated with the Strait of Hormuz blockade, and strong demand for biofuels.

Most other food categories also recorded increases in August, including poultry, rice and palm oil. Beef was a notable exception, with prices declining amid stronger competition between Australian and Brazilian producers in global markets following China’s introduction of import quotas.

“Climate impacts, geopolitical tensions and logistical disruptions in trade are combining, reducing supply expectations,” says Máximo Torero, Chief Economist, FAO. For the 2026 cereal harvest, FAO also revised its production forecast downward to 2.9Bt, a 2% decline from the 2025 record. Despite the reduction, the organization expects the 2026 harvest to be the second-largest on record.