A status-quo analysis of the way the question of the multifunctionality of agriculture and of rural space is dealt with in policy evaluation is given. Focus is on conceptual frameworks, tools and methods. The paper builds on a review of policy evaluation practice and experiences in six different...

The purpose of this article is to explain why Japan, with its food self-sufficiency rate at 40%, is at risk from severe tariff reductions and why it should be accorded special dispensations in WTO agreements on agriculture. The main issue evaluated is whether substantial net food importing...

This last paper aims to summarise reflexions made in the preceding papers of this Special Issue. We will first show the common conclusions of the different reviews on multifunctionality, and discuss the global state-of-the-art: multifuntionality does not yet appear as a very stabilised concept,...

Multifunctionality in agriculture has become a catchword. This paper focuses on public arrangements to finance this service provision by agriculture as dependent on trade negotiations. Multifunctionality implies a reallocation of resources from food production to amenity provision and has...

This article focuses on how to achieve non-trade concerns (NTC) and multifunctional goals that countries may have with minimal trade-distortion. The term 'multifunctional agriculture' focuses on the issue that agriculture, in addition to the production of food and fibre, also may provide...

In seeking appropriate economic policies to address non-trade concerns (NTC), a distinction must be made between those concerns that relate to market failure and the misallocation of resources, and those that relate to distributional issues. To deal with both types of NTC, domestic policies are...

This paper builds on the outcomes of a state-of-the-art review of research for the European research project MULTAGRI, with a particular focus on the conceptualisation of Multifunctional Agriculture (MFA) from a 'supply side' perspective. It argues that a consistent and satisfactory conceptual...

The multifunctionality nature of agriculture has been used to justify continuing protection for the agricultural sector. The farm sector produces a variety of outputs, some of which are marketable (or tradable) and others not. Protectionism, under the guise of multifunctionality, is then...

This paper presents a review of the topics in existing research on the establishment and management of public policies for multifunctional purposes. The review is a complete survey of studies carried out in five countries: Finland, Germany, Ireland, Latvia and UK. The viewpoints adopted in...

Reductions of trade barriers and re-instrumentation of policy has led to a situation where nations believe that their pursuit of amenities tied to agriculture, multifunctionality, is jeopardised. Conflicting views of multifunctionality creates difficulties in trade talks. This paper examines the...