Markets and Trade

Globalization has revolutionized the ways agro-enterprises engage in business. Food production has become easier, quicker and more accessible as a result of interconnected global value chains and a sharp increase in demand for food. To meet the needs of a growing world population, increased food production will inevitably have consequences for societies, including labour, food security and human rights. The production of more food will also generate environmental concerns related to the availability of land and water. Businesses, governments and civil society have a critical role to play in addressing impacts and ensuring that responsible business conduct (RBC) supports inclusive sustainable development.
FAO promotes responsible business conduct among governments, business, civil society and stakeholders by:       

 

encouraging enterprises to apply the OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains to their business sourcing operations to reduce adverse social and environmental impacts on supply chains, while addressing poverty and supporting inclusive growth; 

 

enabling development by communicating about the range of potential business and developmental impacts on agricultural supply chains, including labour and human rights, land tenure risks and deforestation, while explaining how the impacts are linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);

 

fostering multistakeholder cooperation among companies, governments, civil society and others to transform risks into opportunities for dialogue and development that support vulnerable groups, such as women and youth;

 

sharing experiences through peer learning and exchanging knowledge and best practices across regions, countries and agricultural industries (e.g. tropical fruits).

Publications
08/09/2022

The objective of this technical paper is to consider how agricultural cooperatives in developing and transitional economies can help reduce adverse environmental, social and development impacts in global agricultural value chains (GVCs), including through risk-based due diligence.

10/06/2022

FAO’s Responsible Business Conduct Quarterly Bulletin (RBC-Q) shares events and resources on FAO’s activities on Responsible Global Value Chains and news from around the world related to business, risk and development in the agricultural sector. It is prepared by FAO’s Markets and Trade Division (EST). This issue of the bulletin covers the period April-June 2022, with selected items from January-March 2022.

02/12/2021

The enterprise policy note on Integrating a gender perspective into supply chain due diligence is based on the OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains and presents how companies can integrate a gender perspective into due diligence actions. It provides practical examples of how companies operating in agricultural supply chains can tailor their responsible sourcing and risk-based due diligence efforts to support better development outcomes for women and girls. The policy note also helps companies understand how their due diligence efforts can contribute to implementing Sustainable Development Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empowering all women and girls when considering gender impacts and business relationships with suppliers in agricultural supply chains.

Projects
Videos
31/05/2021

Food is more global than ever before. Reduced trade barriers, advances in production, logistics, and a rising demand for food have powered trade and global supply chains. These processes have unlocked millions of jobs, supporting social and economic development around the world.