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Global Agri-food Business and Agricultural Trade

Trends in the global agri-food business have substantial impacts on how food is produced and the benefits to farmers and workers from its production and processing. IDS research is exploring the impacts of changes in global agri-food business:

  • Food safety and quality and the response of business to increased pressure from governments and consumers - Businesses face legal requirements to meet ever more stringent public food safety standards and maintain customer confidence at a time when global supply chains are becoming more complex. Stricter food safety and quality standards, both public and private, have the potential to exclude developing countries from international trade - especially the most marginal producers and exporters. Studies of global value chains for higher-value agri-food products show how the complexities of standards-compliance management can affect competitiveness. For example, exporters play a key role in determining the participation of small-scale producers.
  • The changing structure of trade in agricultural and food products - Research focusing on trade structures from a global value chains perspective, looking at horticulture and the impact of supermarkets on production and trade in Kenya. Current research is looking at value chains for processed agri-food products, and whether these provide greater scope to include more small-scale producers.
  • The efficacy of capacity-building in the area of agri-food standards compliance - Considerable donor support, both technical and financial, has failed to strengthen compliance capacity in many developing countries. Reflection on both the approach and focus of capacity-building efforts aims to identify which approaches are most appropriate to particular developing country contexts. Current research is exploring how a global value chain framework can be used to improve capacity-building efforts directed at compliance with food safety and quality standards in international trade.

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Latest Publications on Global Agri-food Business and Agricultural Trade »

  • Henson, S. and Humphrey, J. (2011) 'Codex Alimentarius and Private Standards' in van der Meulen, B.M.J. (eds), Private Food Law: Governing Food Chains Through Contract Law, Self-regulation, Private Standards, Audits and Certification Schemes, Wageningen: Wageningen Academic Publishers
  • Jaffee, S., Henson, S. and Diaz Rios, L. (2011) 'Making the Grade: Smallholder Farmers, Emerging Standards, and Development Assistance Programs in Africa (A Research Program Synthesis)' Report Number 62324-AFR, Washington: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank
  • Henson, S., Masakure, O. and Cranfield, J. (2011) 'Do Fresh Produce Exporters in sub-Saharan Africa Benefit from GlobalGAP Certification?', World Development 39.3:375-86
  • Pretty, J. et al. (2010) 'The Top 100 Questions of Importance to the Future of Global Agriculture', International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 8.4:219-236, Earthscan
  • Henson, S. and Humphrey, J. (2010) 'Understanding the Complexities of Private Standards in Global Agri-Food Chains as They Impact Developing Countries', Journal of Development Studies 46.9:1628-46
  • Godfray, H.C.J., Beddington, J.R., Crute, I.R., Haddad, L., Lawrence, D., Muir, J.F., Nisbett, N., Robinson, S., Toulmin, C. and Whiteley, R. (2010) 'The Future of the Global Food System', Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 365.1554:2769-77, London: Royal Society Publishing
  • Blandon, J., Henson, S. and Islam, T. (2010) 'The Importance of Assessing Marketing Preferences of Small-scale Farmers: A Latent Segment Approach', European Journal of Development Studies 22.4:494-509
  • Humphrey, J., McCulloch, N., and Ota, M. (2004) 'The Impact of European Market Changes on Employment in the Kenyan Horticulture Sector', Journal of International Development 16.1:63-80
  • Smith, S. (2010) 'Fairtrade Bananas: A Global Assessment of Impact', Report , Brighton: IDS
  • Thompson, J and Scoones, I (2009) 'Addressing the Dynamics of Agri-Food Systems: An Emerging Agenda for Social Science Research', Environmental Science and Policy 12:386-397, Elsevier

Global Agri-food Business and Agricultural Trade projects at IDS

  • Analysing the Effects from Non Tariff Measures (NTM) in the Global Agri-Food Trade - The project's objective is to collect and analyse new data on non-tariff measures, particularly on governmental standards and regulations that prescribe the conditions for importing agri-food products into the EU market and into the markets of the main competing players. (2009 - 2011)
  • Partnering for Better Food - This project aims to identify and support scalable public-private innovative partnerships in developing countries that bridge the gaps between agriculture and nutrition programmes to improve nutrition for the poor and undernourished. (Ongoing)


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