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Changing trends in food consumption and free trade agreements in agriculture

Background

For the agricultural sector, the consequences of free trade agreements (FTAs) can be problematic. Virtually all countries engaging in FTAs have to assess the impacts of such agreements on their economy, but also on their agriculture, food security and landscape. For a growing number of consumers, the criteria for buying food is not the price alone: the preference for local food, desire for lower meat consumption and higher quality standards strongly influence their choice. On the producer side, smallholder farmers in low- and middle-income economies as well as farmers in high-income economies that are threatened by cheap imports or excluded from new opportunities are uniting their forces to oppose FTAs.

Objective

To develop an analytical framework to capture changing trends and dynamics among consumers, producers, processors and retailers within and across countries. The framework will allow assessing and anticipating the influence of these movements on agriculture, food security and land use within the framework of FTAs in various country contexts.

Expected Benefits

  • Global: The research will provide new knowledge on the relevance and dynamics of the described trends and a methodological framework facilitating the monitoring and policy implications, in particular on FTAs in the future. The outcomes will inform the design of accompanying measures and policy responses to prevent negative impacts of FTAs in the concerned countries.
  • In Switzerland: Decision-makers in the Swiss agricultural sector as well as in foreign affairs (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation) will directly benefit from the research designed to inform policy and practice.

Contact Information

Dominique Guenat, , phone: +41 31 910 21 74

Berner Fachhochschule, HAFL: Hochschule für Agrar-, Forst- und Lebensmittel

Trends in the agricultural sector
Trends in the agricultural sector

Target countries: Developing (i.e. Benin, Ecuador, Egypt); transition (Brazil, Kyrgyzstan, Thailand); developed (New Zealand, Switzerland)

Costs: CHF 1.5 Mio

Duration: 4 years