Agriculture is considered a priority sector for the Chilean economy. Chile’s diverse climate allowed the country to produce diverse crops and grow significantly to become the fifteenth largest exporter of agricultural products valued at over $15,607 billion in food exports in 2016 (Invest Chile, 2016). Chile has invested to increase its participation in agricultural value chains with significant advances in agroindustry and innovation. Approximately 15,761 hectares, or 21% of the country area was agricultural area in 2014. Agricultural production contributed around 4.3% to GDP in 2016. Agricultural employment and GDP contributions are concentrated in the O’Higgings and Maule region. However, certain localities within other regions have a strong dependence on agriculture. Northern and central regions face the challenge of decreased precipitation, which could challenge both rain-fed and irrigated agriculture. In southern regions of the country, where temperatures are colder on average, increases in temperature could make them suitable for agricultural production.

This section provides insights into the climate change impacts on agricultural productivity indicators and the trends in agriculture related socio-economic indicators.