Food self-sufficiency is a relevant political issue in many countries, developed and developing, particularly to satisfy the internal nutritional needs of the population and face situations in which the prices of basic products are unstable or when a country faces an external shock. Improving resilience involves strengthening local rural communities to meet demand with domestic production. The member countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (LCN) produce enough food to sustain their population and to be one of the world's largest food exporters. From the theoretical discussion and using data from FAO, the research shows that there is a potential to improve food sovereignty and to define food and agricultural policies through agricultural complementarity among the LCN countries. Diverting part of the current trade with third parties to intraregional trade, for products in which the region has a comparative advantage, would mean that LCN countries could save up to 2.7 billion dollars per year, that is, 6.8% of total imports of food in 2018, avoiding the outflow of foreign currency and promoting greater economic integration between countries.

The impact of food production patterns and food supply upon consumption patterns is usually explained by economies of scale and affordability. Less attention is given to food trade patterns and global insertion of economies affecting dietary changes. This paper contributes to the discussion using the concept of caloric unequal exchange that defines the deterioration of terms of trade in food in units of calories and complements studies on unequal exchange and ecologically unequal exchange. A new perspective to food systems’ analysis is achieved by using this concept. This paper uses the case study of Ecuador to exemplify its potentiality. Exports and imports to and from Ecuador are analyzed for the period 1988 through 2013 in volume, value, and calories, for different groups of products. The conclusion is that Ecuador is increasingly helping to feed the world, at a caloric cost that is decreasing over time. There is a deterioration of the terms of trade of traded food in terms of calories for Ecuador of more than 250% between 1986 and 2013.

The rate of CO₂ emissions concentration in the atmosphere increases the likelihood of significant impacts on humankind and ecosystems. The assumption that permissible levels of greenhouse gas emissions cannot exceed the global average temperature increase of 2 °C in relation to pre-industrial levels remains uncertain. Despite this uncertainty, the direct implication is that enormous quantities of fossil fuels have, thus far, wrongly been counted as assets by hydrocarbon firms as they cannot be exploited if we want to keep climate under certain control. These are the so-called “toxic assets”. Due to the relationship among CO₂ emissions, GDP, energy consumption, and energy efficiency, the concept of toxic assets can be transferred to toxic income, which is the income level that would generate levels of CO₂ emissions incompatible with keeping climate change under control. This research, using a simulation model based on country-based econometric models, estimated a threshold for income per capita above which the temperature limit of 2 °C would be surpassed. Under the business as usual scenario, average per capita income would be $14,208 (in constant 2010 USD) in 2033; and under the intervention scenario, which reflects the commitments of the COP21 meeting held in Paris in December 2015, the toxic revenue would be $13,433 (in constant 2010 USD) in 2036.

This article aims to analyze the repercussions of food trade between China and various regions of the world to understand the dynamics of food flows and offer a novel perspective on the contemporary globalization process. Understanding these flows involves analyzing the global production and commercialization of food and the effects of these movements on exporting and importing countries in economic terms and food security. The concept of unequal caloric exchange is applied to the case of China, which allows for an understanding of how its economic growth and participation in international trade have transformed its global and internal commercial dynamics by establishing links with self-sufficiency and the composition of its population’s diet. The results show that China is increasingly dependent on international markets for its food supply. From 1961 to 2021, food consumption in China has tripled in calories and experienced qualitative changes, with a reduction in high-quality carbohydrates and vegetable proteins and an increase in cereals, vegetable oils, alcohol, and vegetables. This dietary transformation is related to economic growth and greater dependence on international trade. From 1987 to 2022, China has shown a growing deficit in the food trade balance, with imports exceeding exports in volume, value, and calories, although it maintains favorable terms of trade. Food self-sufficiency has decreased from 95% in 1961 to 76% in 2022, and the diet has diversified, replacing traditional foods with products demanded in international trade.

Across Latin America, numerous traditional agroecological systems face increasing challenges in integrating into formal markets. This issue is also evident in the Chakra Kichwa, an ancestral agroecological production system primarily managed by Indigenous women. Despite its cultural, environmental, and nutritional significance, its integration into the formal market is hindered by structural limitations that keep producers in conditions of subsistence and marginalization. This study analyzes the economic benefits derived from the commercialization of agricultural products by 642 producers, intermediaries, and vendors who belong to 20 associations based in the rural parishes of Tena canton (Napo Province) and who market their products in urban areas. A total of 234 surveys were conducted, with a 95% confidence level and a 5.2% margin of error. Findings indicate that the sale of Chakra products generates an average monthly net income of $211.06, provided the value of family labor is not accounted for. However, when imputing the monthly cost of this unpaid labor, the system shows losses of $409.48. Additionally, four scenarios are simulated: the first three assess the profitability of the commercial circuit under alternative transportation logistics; the fourth explores potential gains from increased selling prices associated with improvements in infrastructure, inputs, and transportation. In all cases, sales labor is replaced with hired personnel. The results indicate that these scenarios could increase net income by between 28.45% and 92.23%. Nevertheless, when accounting for family labor costs, all scenarios continue to reflect losses. Consequently, the model indicates that achieving economic breakeven would require quadrupling the current productivity of the Chakra system.