Transforming food systems and facilitating market access and integration
An FAO Regional Initiative
This Regional Initiative, implemented since 2016, consists of three main interrelated components:
The primary goal of the Regional Initiative on Transforming food systems and facilitating market access and integration is to support member countries in enhancing the agrifood trade policy environment for small- and medium-sized agricultural enterprises in pursuit of more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems. A better trade policy environment for modern agrifood markets requires the development of capacity for trade agreements and domestic, regional and international sanitary and phytosanitary rules. Knowledge of trading partners’ requirements is essential.
While international trade policy is usually implemented at the border, adherence to food safety, quality standards, and controls for animal and plant diseases requires the support of national systems for disease prevention and control to facilitate the safe transfer and movement of food and agricultural commodities across borders. This means that a supportive policy environment for agrifood trade encompasses not only border policies, but also policies and institutions at national and enterprise levels. Effective markets and efficient, sustainable value chains will help all actors in the production chain play their part in a cohesive food system.
Featured news:
Events
- COVID-19 and Food Safety Control and Management
16 December 2020, Virtual event - Annual meeting of the Agricultural Trade Expert Network in Europe and Central Asia
27–28 October 2020, virtual event - Workshop: Quantitative agricultural policy monitoring in eight post-Soviet countries
7–8 October 2020, virtual event - Joint FAO-UNITAR online course on "Trade, Food Security and Nutrition"
11 May to 12 June, 2020, online - International conference on food safety risk analysis and antimicrobial resistance
17-18 December 2019, Moscow, Russia
Previous initiatives
- Agrifood Trade and Regional Integration (2014-2015)
- Agrarian Structures Initiative (2013)
See also
Contact
Mary Kenny
Food safety and quality officer
Budapest, Hungary
Tel: +36 1 8141-251