Country agriculture profile · Latin America & Caribbean
Peru
Peru's agriculture spans three sharply contrasting environments: an arid Pacific coast, the high Andean sierra, and the Amazon basin. Irrigated coastal valleys drive a booming agro-export sector in asparagus, grapes, avocados, and berries, while the Andes remain the smallholder heartland of potato, maize, and quinoa and the domain of alpaca and llama herding. Tropical coffee and cacao from the eastern slopes and jungle are important export and livelihood crops. Water access on the desert coast, altitude-driven crop diversity, and the divide between modern export agriculture and traditional highland farming are enduring structural features.
Farming systems (stable overview)
Climate zones
- Arid coastal desert
- Tropical highland (Andean sierra, by altitude)
- Tropical rainforest (Amazon selva)
Agroecological zones
- Coastal irrigated valleys (costa)
- Andean highland terraces and valleys (sierra)
- Amazon lowland and high jungle (selva)
Dominant crop systems
- Irrigated export horticulture on the arid coast (asparagus, grapes, avocado, blueberries)
- Rainfed and terraced Andean staples (potato, maize, quinoa, highland cereals)
- Amazonian coffee, cacao, oil palm, and plantain
- Irrigated rice and sugarcane in coastal and jungle valleys
Major livestock systems
- Andean camelids (alpaca and llama) for fibre and meat
- Smallholder and dairy cattle in highland and coastal valleys
- Sheep and goats in the sierra
- Intensive coastal poultry and pigs
Irrigation: Coastal agriculture depends almost entirely on irrigation from rivers descending the Andes and from large state irrigation schemes, while highland farming is largely rainfed and Amazon cropping relies on abundant rainfall.
Latest verified data
Each value is the most recent available observation, shown with its own year and unit. Figures are periodically revised — treat them as dated, sourced statistics, not evergreen facts.
| Indicator | Value | Unit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural land | 19.05 | % of land area | 2023 |
| Arable land | 3.06 | % of land area | 2023 |
| Cereal yield | 4,850.9 | kg per hectare | 2024 |
| Crop production index | 130.74 | index (2014–2016 = 100) | 2022 |
| Food production index | 128.07 | index (2014–2016 = 100) | 2022 |
| Agriculture value added | 7.47 | % of GDP | 2024 |
| Employment in agriculture(est.) | 23.42 | % of total employment | 2024 |
Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12
Cereal yield over time
Show data table
| Year | kg per hectare |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 4,101.3 |
| 2014 | 4,017 |
| 2015 | 4,242.2 |
| 2016 | 4,370.1 |
| 2017 | 4,216.5 |
| 2018 | 4,530.8 |
| 2019 | 4,369.7 |
| 2020 | 4,556.9 |
| 2021 | 4,703.6 |
| 2022 | 4,586.6 |
| 2023 | 4,797 |
| 2024 | 4,850.9 |
Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12
Derived indicator
Arable land as a share of agricultural land: 16.1 % of agricultural land (2023)
Derived value — formula arable-share-of-agricultural-land v1.0.0 (calc v1). Inputs: AG.LND.ARBL.ZS (3.1) ÷ AG.LND.AGRI.ZS (19.1). A derived ratio, not an observed statistic. Sensitive to rounding and to differing revision cycles of the two source series; omit rather than extrapolate when a common year is unavailable.
Documented crops & livestock
Agricultural institutions
- Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (MIDAGRI) — National agriculture, irrigation, and rural policy authority.
- National Institute of Agrarian Innovation (INIA) — National agricultural research and innovation institute.
- National Agrarian Health Service (SENASA) — National plant and animal health authority.
- International Potato Center (CIP) — CGIAR research center headquartered in Lima.
Data coverage & limitations
Covered by the World Bank WDI snapshots for land, production, yield, economy, inputs, and environment indicators.
- Statistics are dated, versioned, and periodically revised; always read them with their reference year and dataset version.
- National definitions of farm, cultivated land, and livestock categories differ from those used elsewhere.
- A strong dualism between capital-intensive coastal export agriculture and subsistence highland farming makes national aggregates hard to interpret.
- Smallholder and informal highland production may be under-recorded.
Sources
This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.
- Authoritative
Cited for: Agricultural statistics (WDI)
- Type:
- Intergovernmental organization
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- [2]FAOSTAT — FAO statistical database (opens in a new tab)Authoritative
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Cited for: Crop and livestock production statistics
- Type:
- Intergovernmental organization
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- [3]FAO — Food and Agriculture Organization (opens in a new tab)Authoritative
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Cited for: Production systems and food-security context
- Type:
- Intergovernmental organization
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12