An overview of the fundamental issues in the production, trade and regulation of organic products. It notes the changing consumer and trade environments that are driving organics beyond the realm of niche products toward an increasingly relevant position among other important agricultural...

With the expanding globalization of trade, grades and standards help to set the ‘rules of the game’ and their implications for developing countries are becoming increasingly relevant. While they are clearly important to trade, their formation and utilization is also undergoing a shift from...

Information is the lifeblood of most market economies. Nevertheless, attempts to jump start information flow by creating Market Information Services for food and agriculture usually fail. The author distills experiences and lessons from other studies and individual experts in the field on the...

This paper, for the 2008 World Export Development Forum, considers the emerging importance of standards and offers a brief overview of the main public-private standards that increasingly govern trade in agrifood products. Their dynamic and rapidly evolving nature, particularly for ecolabels,...

The State of Sustainable Coffee provides the first comprehensive overview of the market conditions facing, organic, fair trade and shade grown or eco-friendly coffees (termed 'sustainable' coffees). It outlines the volumes, trends, distribution channels, major players, and price premiums in 12...

Geographic Indications (GIs) such as Darjeeling Tea, Pampas meat, Basmati rice, and Parmigiano cheese embody unique expressions of culture, tradition, and place. This 6 page summary of the Main Themes of Discussion by the Terra Madre conference participants and the E-Forum departs from the...

The growing economic value and consumer popularity of sustainability standards inevitably raise questions about the extent to which their structure and dynamics actually address many environmental, economic and public welfare issues. The Committee on Sustainable Assessment (COSA) was formed, in...

Geographical Indications present significant opportunities for differentiating products or services that are uniquely related to their geographic origin. While they can offer many positive economic, social, cultural, and even environmental benefits, they can also be problematic and therefore...