St. Louis shares similarities with Latin American countries in terms of agricultural practices, crops, and climates. This common agricultural background provides a foundation for mutual collaboration and the exchange of knowledge and technologies. 

Latin America's agricultural history dates to pre-Colombian times when Indigenous civilizations like the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas developed sophisticated farming techniques, cultivating crops such as maize, beans, and potatoes. Similarly, in the Mississippi River Valley, where St. Louis is located, the Cahokia people and their descendants engaged in agriculture, growing crops like maize and squash. Today, Latin America and the Midwest are prominent contributors to global soybean and corn production, collectively accounting for more than half of the world's supply.

In 2017, the St. Louis Economic Development Partnerships released "Planting the Seeds of Success: The St. Louis Region's Plan to Attract Foreign Direct Investment." The Plan identified the St. Louis agtech/food tech sector as the most immediate and attractive opportunity for global interest and efforts to attract foreign direct investment.  

A trade delegation led by the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership and World Trade Center St. Louis visited Argentina in November 2017. The delegation included executives from many St. Louis-area companies and organizations, such as Benson Hill, BioSTL, Bryan Cave, Bunge, Cambridge Innovation Center, Cortex, KWS, Monsanto, Saint Louis University, and Washington University. During the week-long trade mission, St. Louis and Rosario signed a Sister Cities agreement, where the cities pledged to collaborate for the mutual benefit of their communities by exploring economic, educational, and cultural opportunities. 

In addition to the Sister Cities agreement, the Partnership signed a Memorandum of Understanding with its economic development counterpart, Invest Buenos Aires, to cooperatively promote trade and investment opportunities between the two regions for mutual benefit. Moreover, The Yield Lab, a Creve Coeur-based agribusiness accelerator, announced during the trip that it was opening The Yield Lab Latam, based in Argentina. 

Cultivating nearly six years of relationship building between organizations in Latin America and St. Louis, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, BioSTL, the Yield Lab LATAM, the World Trade Center St. Louis, Greater St. Louis Inc., and 39 North Agtech Innovation District launched Cultivar in Fall 2023. The initiative aims to strengthen and sustain partnerships that will contribute to economic growth in St. Louis and Latin America and positively impact food security.