Agricultural producers and farmers in developing countries are facing increasingly complex and stringent standards and codes if they are to market their products on world markets.
In addition to technical standards, such as the colour or size of apples, there is a growing range of quality, environmental and social requirements. Known as sustainability standards, these include pesticide-free production, child labour bans and decent pay.
While these help to promote better practices in agriculture, their economic, social and political impact is all too often overlooked by wholesalers, governments and non-governmental organizations. They can run counter to development strategies aimed at the most disadvantaged by excluding small farmers in developing countries from international agricultural supply chains.
Despite the difficulties involved, however, UNCTAD experts are convinced that these new standards offer genuine opportunities for small-scale farmers in the South.
The development of dynamic, coherent and realistic national strategies, in partnership with all those concerned, could promote improved agricultural production methods, safe and healthy foods, better working conditions and more efficient energy and waste management.
Private-public partnerships can play a key role in this area.
The meeting will aim to:
- Identify the impact of the spread of sustainability standards on smallholder farmers in developing countries, particularly in Africa.
- Map effective strategies to minimize the costs and maximize the benefits of this persistent and important global trend for smallholders.
- Identify real economic, social and environmental win-win-win opportunities and related supportive policies and supportive/flanking measures.
| The meeting is organized by UNCTAD in partnership with UNEP, FAO, ITC, IISD, IFOAM, TOAM, BOKU, IIED, ISEAL and EPOPA, with the financial support of the Governments of Austria and Norway and DFID. |
