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Launch of the Commodities and Development Report 2015

24 December 2015

​The Commodities and Development Report 2015, entitled "Smallholder Farmers and Sustainable Commodity Development" was launched on 17 December 2015 on the margins of the tenth Ministerial Conference of the WTO taking place in Nairobi. The presentation of the report was preceded by an introduction by Joakim Reiter, UNCTAD's Deputy Secretary-General.

Positive reactions from the participants on the ground who are directly involved in dealing with issues surrounding smallholder farming activities illustrated the relevance of the report and why it should be shared with as many people and institutions as possible, particularly in developing countries.

A number of them thanked UNCTAD for covering a topic that is of such importance to them. For instance, a senior Research Fellow from the NGO Trade Collective, wrote the following:

"thanks for a thought provoking and vibrant presentation today on small scale farmers. It contained a wealth of information... My colleagues and I really enjoyed engaging with you after your presentation and appreciate your candidness."

A Kenyan young farmer wrote: "It was a profound learning experience for me to have had a chance to share in your wisdom and knowledge…"

Participants were particularly appreciative of the bold tone of the report calling policymakers to reverse the policy neglect smallholders have endured over the years. A participant from a Zambian trade policy research center expressed interest in having UNCTAD present the report at a meeting he would be organizing where members of Government, the private sector and agricultural and trade associations would be invited to debate the issues raised in the Report.