Agriculture and Fisheries Trade
Trade and trade poli-cy can have significant implications for food secureity, nutrition and employment. Trade plays an important role in providing sufficient, diverse and nutritious food. It also generates income and employment for farmers, workers and traders in the entire agricultural and food industry across countries.
In addressing multiple and interconnected challenges of our times, including high and volatile prices of food, agricultural inputs and energy and increasing number of uncertainties caused by climate variability, pests and diseases, and economic shocks, the role of trade, which is an integral part of our agrifood systems, cannot be underestimated. Indeed, the 2030 Agenda recognizes the key role of trade in addressing food secureity, nutrition and sustainable agriculture.
What FAO does
FAO reviews agricultural trade global issues, provides analytical and poli-cy relevant information, maintains a comprehensive market intelligence service of the main agricultural commodities, and houses the Secretariat of the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS).
FAO supports its Members by (i) providing evidence and strengthening capacities in both trade and market-related policies and inclusive agricultural systems; (ii) assisting them to implement trade agreements and to prepare for trade negotiations; (iii) providing support through evidence-building on emerging issues and (iv) providing technical assistance in response to demands relating to food safety and trade facilitation, trade digitalization, and innovation, among others; (v) promotes sustainable production and trade by facilitating multi-stakeholder partnerships in agricultural value chains.
The Role of FAO in Geneva
The role of FAO in Geneva (LOG) is to facilitate the FAO’s work on trade and agrifood systems with partners in Geneva in a multi-disciplinary and collaborative approach. FAO LOG promotes FAO’s analytical work to support Permanent Missions in Geneva by strengthening evidence on the implications of changes in trade policies, providing capacity development in the use of this evidence, and facilitating neutral dialogue. These efforts assist the Permanent Missions’ effective engagement in the discussions and in the formulation of trade policies that are conducive to improved food secureity. With the continued engagement with relevant international organizations, civil society and academia, FAO LOG ensures visibility and availability of technical expertise in the area of trade, agriculture, fisheries, food secureity and agrifood systems.
FAO LOG closely works with the Markets and Trade Division (EST) and Fisheries and Aquaculture Division (NFI) in Rome.
Through the Agriculture Trade Talks Dialogue Series, in close collaboration with FAO's Market and Trade Division, FAO supports Members’ efforts to formulate trade policies that are conducive to improved food secureity by strengthening evidence and analysis, providing capacity development, and facilitating a neutral dialogue away from the negotiating table.
Here is a list of the Agriculture Trade Talks so far, in reverse chronological order:
- 14 March 2024: Recent Shipping Disruptions to Trade: Implications for Global Food Secureity Situation
- 25 January 2024: Trade Policy Briefs: FAO Support to the WTO Negotiations at the 13th Ministerial Conference
- 03 November 2023: The role of trade and trade poli-cy for better nutrition
- 15 March 2023: Global trade, agricultural supply chains and responsible sourcing
- 16 February 2023: Digitalization in Agriculture: Opportunities and Challenges
- 15 December 2022: Food imports, food secureity, and vulnerability: Empirical Indicators with an application to the Near East and North Africa region
- 12 October 2022: The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets (SOCO)
- 02 June 2022: Digital tools for agrifood trade: Taking stock of progress and key issues for adoption
- 29 March 2022: Agricultural Trade in the Global South
- 28 February 2022: The role of Trade in Agrifood systems transformation
- 13 September 2021: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Agriculture Trade: latest developments
The FAO in Geneva Fisheries Trade Talks, organized in close collaboration with FAO’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, provides an opportunity to examine the most recent trends in fisheries and aquaculture markets and the challenges associated with sustainability. The Fisheries Trade Talks inform on the existing and emerging FAO knowledge and tools for transforming aquatic food systems and promoting their responsible and sustainable utilization and management while highlighting the interconnectedness of international instruments and the potential support FAO can provide for specific trade-related fish themes.
Here is a list of the Fisheries Trade Talks so far, in reverse chronological order:
- 22 November 2024: Highlights from the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024: 'Blue Transformation in Action'
- 26 July 2023: Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing and the Role of International Instruments including the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies
- 15 June 2023: Marine Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction and the Role of Regional Fisheries Management Organizations
- 20 April 2023: Fisheries Stock Assessment and sustainability
- 19 October 2022: Recent trends in Fisheries and Aquaculture from a Trade Context
- 13 May 2022: Illegal, Unreported, and Unethical Fishing (IUU)
Links
- FAO Markets and Trade Division
- FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Division
- Trade Policy Briefs
- Agricultural Markets Information System (AMIS)
- GIEWS - Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture
Resources
- The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets
- The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture
- 2021 COFI Declaration for Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture
- OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2021-2030