Sustainable agriculture in South America : an analysis oriented to international trade

Abstract

This study analyzes agricultural environmental governance in South America through a comprehensive examination of regulatory frameworks and their capacity to meet international commercial requirements. Using text mining techniques applied to 3,750 legal acts from nine countries (2010-2024) and developing the Agricultural Environmental Policy Maturity Index (AEPMI), the research demonstrates that command-and-control instruments predominate (over 60% of measures), reflecting traditional regulatory approaches based on mandatory standards and enforcement. However, countries like Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay demonstrate greater capacity to respond to international market demands by diversifying their regulatory portfolios with instruments such as green credits, payments for environmental services, and technology development programs. The AEPMI shows that regulatory maturity depends not only on the quantity of laws but on their quality, coherence, and capacity to meet commercial demands. Peru and Chile achieve leadership positions despite fewer measures than Brazil, indicating more balanced and legally sound policy adoption. Key findings indicate three critical gaps limiting the region’s capacity to meet international commercial requirements: insufficient monitoring, reporting, and verification systems; absence of harmonized green taxonomies; and limited access to climate financing. The sentiment analysis demonstrates that policy instrument diversity associates with more positive regulatory narratives, potentially enhancing social acceptance and reducing monitoring costs. Principal component analysis and clustering identify two distinct governance approaches: one driven by legislative volume and another by thematic diversification, showing that larger regulatory frameworks do not necessarily translate into higher maturity. The study concludes that South America’s future agricultural commercial integration requires evolving from reactive approaches to strategic frameworks that anticipate international market demands through instrument diversification, strengthened monitoring systems, and enhanced regional cooperation.