Can AgTech save Latin American farmers from El Niño?

The effects of the 2026-2027 El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are beginning to materialize across the globe.

For some regions, the climate phenomenon can mean intense rain and flooding; for others it may trigger drought. But wherever El Niño takes place, its radical impact on the climate has serious effects on agricultural and food-supply systems.

In Latin America – the world's main food-exporting region – scientists, governments, and entrepreneurs are pooling resources and brainpower to consider how to mitigate the impact of ENSO on farmers and whether agricultural technology, or AgTech, might be the answer.

El Niño, which is caused by wind and sea temperature variations in the Pacific Ocean, has complex and unpredictable effects on millions across the world, mostly those living in tropical and subtropical bands.

In Latin America, it tends to bring heavy rainfall in the south to countries like Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil while northern nations like Colombia, Venezuela, and Central America typically see dry conditions.

As the planet heats up, ENSO grows more extreme, and this year's iteration is expected to be one of the most severe on record, with some dubbing it a "super" El Niño.

"Though El Niño is a natural phenomenon, climate change is amplifying its impacts," explained Tarisai Kanyepi, Senior Researcher, United Nations University Vice-Rectorate in Europe. "This makes extreme events even more difficult to predict, and the threats to food security and livelihoods a serious concern."

While ENSO can cause natural disasters like floods and wildfires, its impact on agricultural systems can indirectly impact millions by destabilizing food supply systems and economic security.

"Agritech is critical for helping to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events resulting from El Niño and climate change," said Kanyepi.

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) outlines the ways farmers can start to insulate themselves against the increasingly intense ENSOs.

The first step is risk identification and monitoring, which gives farmers the opportunity to adapt their agricultural processes by delaying planting, choosing drought-resistant crops, or securing extra water reserves.

"Monitoring should be carried out at different scales," said Diego Esteban Hernández Valenciano, director at Bee Harvest, a firm specializing in end-to-end agricultural digitalization.

He explained that El Niño's impacts will be seen on many levels, and each one requires a different type of technology to monitor its impact: At the regional level, satellite information and global climate data provide information on broader trends; at the local level, weather stations can monitor temperature and humidity; at the farm level, sensors may be used to measure variables like soil moisture and structure while drones can analyze individual plants and detect differences between crops in the same field.

"The real advantage comes when we are able to combine all of this information – satellite data, climate data, drones, sensors, and soil characteristics – to understand not only that there is a problem, but why it is happening and which areas of the field should be prioritized first," explained Hernandez.

The FAO has also pointed to AgTech solutions that seek to bioengineer crops that are more resilient to extreme weather.

"These types of varieties can provide crops with a greater ability to withstand adverse conditions, such as periods of drought or extreme temperatures, reducing their impact on production," said Hernandez.

EcoScience Lab, part of the Tecnológico de Monterrey university's Tec Startups incubator program in Mexico, is working on something similar.

They've developed microorganisms that grow alongside plants in fields, releasing nutrients, strengthening them against climate-related stress, and accelerating the conversion of CO2 into organic and inorganic carbon.

According to Adolfo Nicolás Angeles Govea, EcoScience Lab's founder, the technology "enables crops to withstand extreme weather conditions by inducing resistance factors in the plants against water stress, salinity, and extreme temperatures." At the same time, the microorganisms improve soil structure and facilitate the sequestration of organic and inorganic carbon within the soil, "capturing gases that cause climate change."

The FAO also noted that the distribution of drought-tolerant seeds in Central America ahead of the 2023-24 El Niño helped to reduce the strain of water scarcity on household food supplies.

But Hernandez admitted that these solutions have limitations. Specifically, if agriculture becomes reliant on a few specific engineered crop strains, it loses the advantage of genetic diversity.

"Genetic diversity is also a form of resilience, because different varieties may respond differently to drought, disease, high temperatures, or other environmental stresses," he explained.

Others point to the importance of AgTech solutions focused on water management.

"The use of technologies such as irrigation systems... helps ensure crop and pasture production, maintain soil moisture to protect against frost, and provide hydration and hygiene for livestock," said the UN's Kanyepi.

Many LatAm-based businesses are focused on smart irrigation systems that can detect individual plant needs and ensure efficient water use.

Some startups have also taken aim at incentivizing green agriculture through selective financing in what is dubbed Agri-Fintech.

Finaqua, a Mexican startup, facilitates access to credit for irrigation projects by linking financing to the producer's actual water-use efficiency, aiming to promote sustainability.

"Crop irrigation management aided by cost-effective sensors, state-of-the-art models and novel financial and business models will enable its fast adoption and impact-driven scalability," said Agustin Breña Naranjo, Hydraulics Coordinator at the National Autonomous University of Mexico's Institute of Engineering and founder of Finaqua.

Barriers to AgTech in LatAm

While diverse, innovative AgTech solutions could be the key to mitigating the impact of El Niño in Latin America, their effective roll-out faces a slew of obstacles.

"The future of climate resilience for farming communities depends not only on improved technology, but also on ensuring the technology is designed around the realities of those expected to use it," said Kanyepi.

One of the key problems in the AgTech space is translating a wealth of data into actionable information for farmers.

"Today, we have an enormous amount of maps, satellite imagery, climate data, and models, but for many farmers it is still difficult to turn that information into a concrete decision," said Bee Harvest's Hernandez.

His company hopes to redress this problem by using AI to synthesize data from multiple levels of monitoring and provide actionable information to farmers.

Kanyepi also noted the growth of "digital advisory services" using phone applications and WhatsApp that can bring vital information to the farm level.

"What is crucial about using these technologies is that farmers are able to see data and monitor their crops and energy usage in real time," she said.

But even these types of solutions could face barriers; Kanyepi noted the existence of a digital divide, where tech solutions benefit "larger and more well-resourced farmers" while leaving out poorer smallholders.

While technology is being rolled out to democratize climate mitigation, actionable information can only go so far.

"Agritech is not a silver bullet, and no El Niño is the same," said Kanyepi.

But she believes that, complemented with renewable energy, resilient crop selection, and techniques to reduce soil degradation, AgTech can help prepare farmers for an uncertain future.

"This will help farmers adapt and become more resilient to climate change impacts in the long run."