We are pleased to present the second edition of _e Outlook for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Americas: a Perspective on Latin America and the Caribbean, jointly prepared by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). The purpose of the report is to contribute information and analysis to the complex decision-making process regarding agriculture and rural development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The last two years have been marked by various types of shocks that have posed enormous challenges for the countries of the region ranging from a rise in food prices and the global financial crisis to natural phenomena such as the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. The way in which this context adversely affects employment, poverty and productivity means that public policy assumes even greater relevance. Precisely for that reason, in this issue we stress the importance of having the right public policy instruments to boost agriculture and rural development in Latin American and Caribbean countries amid a scenario of great regional challenges. An array of countercyclical public policies has played a key role in attenuating the impact of the crisis on the poorest and most vulnerable, and there are signs of economic recovery in the region. Transversal and sector specific policies have played an important role in responding to the effects of economic and natural shocks. As was to be expected, the effects on the agricultural, livestock, fishing and forestry sectors varied depending on the type of product, location and production form.