Somalia is facing one of the worst food crises the world has seen in 60 years. The scale of the humanitarian disaster provides an ominous backdrop to this issue of International Trade Forum as we focus on food security, agriculture and trade development.
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The famine in the Horn of Africa has shed light not only on the scale of the human disaster, but the urgent need for long-term agricultural policy reform and an overhaul of the global food aid system. Tonight, some 1 billion people will go to...
The resurgence of high food prices in 2010 awakened fears of a repeat of the 2007-08 food crisis, threatening increasing food insecurity, rampant food price inflation and civil unrest. While, fortunately, the worst fears have not materialized generally,...
As a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, agriculture is both a contributor to climate change and a potential casualty. Resolving the tension between meeting food security needs whilst also reducing emissions presents a major development challenge....
Trade in agricultural commodities has always been particularly sensitive. With decreasing tariffs, non-tariff measures (NTMs) have moved into focus. Applied by the importing or exporting country, NTMs entail various challenges and additional costs...
Before the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) came to the isolated El Quiché region in the highlands of Guatemala more than 20 years ago, the roads were few and far between, irrigation systems and processing centres were virtually...
According to a recent inter-agency report, about 16% of the world’s population is chronically undernourished. Aid for Trade is making a contribution to addressing the problem, but much more needs to be done to coordinate policy approaches that will...
Growth – whether driven by the agriculture or non-agriculture sectors – is insufficient to address child malnutrition and reduce micronutrient malnutrition. Strategic investments and special programmes are needed in the complementary sectors of health...
In rural areas of the developing world, women are the backbone of their communities. They are farmers, smallholders and farm labourers; they are the primary caregivers of the young, the elderly, the ill and the disabled. They are often entrepreneurial...
The recent drought-related famine in East Africa has put the focus on the need to make smarter use of existing water resources and, where possible, make more water available for food production. Smart water management technologies will provide the...
THE CASE FOR GMOs:The global trade in agricultural commodities: GM crops are here to stayIn the spring of 2011, newspapers reported that animal feed imports to the European Union (EU) would soon be allowed to contain trace amounts (0.1%) of genetically...
THE CASE AGAINST GMOsInnovative agri-ecological solutions – how organic farming shows the way The challenge of achieving food security is not so much a matter of producing more food but rather of improving access to what is already being produced...
Development aid has targeted food security and agri-business for more than 40 years, but has yet to succeed in overcoming the imbalance between supply and demand. Nor has it made much impact on reducing hunger and rural poverty among communities that...
Agri-food production and distribution systems are rapidly changing. One of the momentous forces driving this is world population growth. World population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050 and fertile farmland is increasingly becoming an attractive...
Through its Trade, Climate Change and Environment Programme (TCCEP), ITC is strengthening the competitiveness of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and trade support institutions (TSIs) in agri-environmental sectors in developing countries....
If you pay attention to the news, you’ll hear two stories about African agriculture. The first is of the drought that sears the Horn of Africa and forces tens of thousands of Somalis – now climate refugees – to pack up their belongings and families...
Developing business in commodities such as coffee or tea or in fresh fruit and vegetables represents great potential for growth and employment in Africa. The challenge for these sectors lies in effective and efficient exporting to the right markets....
Tunisia has a flourishing agri-food products industry, with a growing reputation for quality. Some 10.8% of the labour force was employed in agriculture in 2010, contributing to the fight against unemployment and sustaining livelihoods. Accessing...
Agricultural production in Sierra Leone strengthened by the World Bank The World Bank recently announced that it would provide US$ 42 million worth of grants funding to support agricultural development in Sierra Leone. The funding, a joint agreement...
NEW ITC TECHNICAL PAPERS Business Generation: MethodologyAimed at trade promotion officers and advisers of trade support institutions, this publication provides guidelines on how to organize buyers/sellers meetings. Through a methodology developed...