I.Trade and agricultural policies to support small-scale farmers and
enhance food security
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, in
collaboration with the Economic and Social Commission
for Asia and the Pacific, and the Economic Commission for
Latin America and the Caribbean ($646,000)
Background
80.
The growth of the agricultural sector is crucial for achieving a number of development
goals in developing and least developed countries. Among these goals are enhancing
overall economic growth and poverty reduction, improving food security and conserving
natural resources. In most low-income countries the agricultural sector is a key
contributor to the economy owing to its relative size in terms of value and its linkages to
the rest of the economy. Agriculture tends also to be the largest employer in such
countries. Many of the world’s poor depend directly on agriculture for their livelihood, in
particular women and women-headed households. Growth in agriculture has a
disproportionately positive effect on poverty reduction, since poverty is predominantly a
rural phenomenon.
81.
There is an increasing awareness about the relationship between agriculture and
environmental and social issues. The economic dimension includes the land, labour and
capital that enter into the production process and the resulting outputs. The
environmental dimension recognizes that agriculture is a significant user of
environmental resources, in particular, land and water, and a provider of environmental
services. The social dimension covers the need to reduce risk and vulnerability, including
food security, and issues related to gender. A well-developed and well-integrated
agricultural sector should enhance food security, increase income, including for sma llsize farmers and female farmers, create important linkages in production chains and have
a positive impact on the environment. In many cases, however, there appears to be a
disconnection between agricultural, rural development and food security policies , and
trade and competition policies. Lack of coordination and coherence among policies risks
jeopardizing the achievement of the goals of improved food security and reduced poverty,
especially in rural areas.
82.
The aim of this project is therefore to provide support to Governments in five countries,
developing and least developed countries, in the Asia and Latin America and the
Caribbean regions, to develop sound and complementary agricultural and trade policies
with a view to improving income for small-size farmers, including female farmers,
through their integration in regional and global markets and access by them to food retail
chains
on
fair,
reasonable
and
non-discriminatory terms, and to enhancing food security and food affordability at the
household and country levels.
83.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is the focal point
in the United Nations for the integrated treatment of trade and development. UNCTAD is
particularly well positioned to provide support to deve loping and least developed
countries in enhancing coherence between trade, agriculture and other national policies
owing to its long-standing expertise on trade issues, including through data collection and
analysis, and on the impact of trade policy on the well-being of different segments of the
population within countries.
Objective of the Organization: To provide support to
Governments in selected countries in Asia and the Latin America
and the Caribbean region to enhance food security and improve
income for small-size farmers through sound and complementary
agricultural and trade policies
Relationship to the biennial programme plan for the period
2016-2017: Trade and development subprogramme 3
(International trade)
Summary budget
(Thousands of United States dollars)
General temporary
assistance
Consultants
Travel
Contractual services
Workshops/training
Total
40.0
205.0
138.0
33.0
230.0
646.0
Expected accomplishments of the Secretariat
Indicators of achievement
(EA1) Improved understanding by Governments
and other relevant stakeholders in beneficiary
countries of the complementarities between
agriculture and trade policy in order to achieve
sustainable development objectives
(IA1.1) 75 per cent of the trained
beneficiaries confirm understanding of the
tools and analysis required for designing the
complementary agricultural and trade policies
(EA2) Enhanced capacities of relevant ministries
or departments in beneficiary countries to design
and implement complementary and coherent
trade and agricultural policies
(IA2.1) At least three of the five beneficiary
countries have designed and started to
implement complementary agricultural and
trade policies
(IA2.2) 75 per cent of the trained
beneficiaries confirm an increased capacity to
design and implement complementary
agricultural and trade policies
Main activities
84.
The main activities of the project will include:
(A1.1)
Conducting field missions in five selected countries to collect relevant data on
production, employment, gender participation and food security aspects of
agriculture, including through community surveys and information available
at the national level, and to set up collaboration links with national
stakeholders and partner international organizations in order to i nstitutionalize
this information and knowledge flow;
(A1.2)
Mapping agricultural non-tariff measures in the five selected countries and
their regional trading partners by categorizing national and regional
regulations; analysing the regulatory distance to assess the level of regional
integration;
(A1.3)
Conducting surveys focusing on rural communities, concerning issues such as
land titling; availability of fertilizers and pesticides; access to irrigation,
extension services and market information; distance to markets or roads;
access to food distribution networks; access to credit; and share of cash crops
and staples out of total production;
(A1.4)
Developing trade and agricultural reviews in the five selected countries using
the data collected in A1.1-A1.3;
(A1.5)
Organizing two regional training workshops (including five non -beneficiary
countries) to share the trade and agriculture reviews, as well as the ideas,
tools, data and best practices on how to ensure coherence between trade, rural
development, gender and food security policies;
(A2.1)
Providing training to national stakeholders through hands -on advisory
missions in the five selected countries on how to use trade policies and trade
negotiations as instruments to foster rural development and food security in
order to build their capacity for drafting relevant and complementary policies;
(A2.2)
Organizing two regional workshops for selected policymakers from
beneficiary countries to build capacity in designing and implementing the
complementary and coherent trade, agriculture, competition, gender and other
relevant policies to achieve the sustainable development goals.
I: Trade and agricultural policies to support small-scale farmers and enhance food
Implementing entities: : UNCTAD in collaboration with ESCAP and ECLAC
security
Duration: 2016 – 2019
Objective: To support governments in selected countries in Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean to enhance food security and improve
income for small-size farmers, through sound and complementary agricultural and trade policies
Summary budget
Detailed budget (US dollars)
(Thousands of United States dollars)
General temporary
assistance
Consultants
Travel
Contractual services
Workshops/training
40.0
205.0
138.0
33.0
230.0
Total
646.0
General temporary assistance
 General Temporary Assistance to provide substantive and
administrative support for activities A1.1, A1.4, A2.1 and A2.2.
Temporary assistance (combined total of 4 work months) x ($10,000
per work month) = $ 40,000
Consultants
(a) International consultants
 International consultant in support of A 1.1, A 1.2 and A 1.3 (1
international consultant per country) x (3 work months) x ($6,000 per
month) x (5 countries) = $90,000
 For project evaluation following project completion = $15,000 (fee
and travel)
(b) National / Regional consultants
 National consultants in support of activity A1.2, A1.3 and A1.4 (1
national consultant per country) x (4 work months) x ($3,000 per
month) x (5 countries) = $60,000
Travel of consultants
 International consultants travel in support of activities A1.1, A1.2 and
A1.3 (1 international consultant per country) x ($2,500) x (5
countries) x (2 travels) = $25,000
 International consultants DSA in support of activity A1.1, A1.2 and
A1.3 (1 international consultant per country) x ($300 per day) x (5
days) x (5 countries) x (2 travels) = $15,000
 Travel of staff
 10 Missions by UNCTAD staff in support of activities A1.1, A1.2 and
A1.4 and ($6,000 average mission cost) x (1 staff per mission) x (2
missions per country) x (5 countries) = $60,000
 Missions by UNCTAD staff in support of activity 2.1: ($6,000 average
mission cost) x (1 staff per mission) x (1 mission per country) x (5
40 000
205 000
138 000
countries) = $30,000
Missions by UNCTAD staff in support of activity A1.5 and A2.2
($6,000 average mission cost) x (2 staff per workshop) x (4
workshops) = $48,000
Contractual services
 In support of activities A1.1, A1.2, A1.3 A1.4, A2.1 and A2.2 ($6,600
per country) x (5 countries) = $33,000
Seminars, Workshops and Study Tours
 Two regional workshops in support of A1.5 ($2,300 per participant) x
(6 funded participants per country) x (2 workshops) x (5 countries) =
$138,000
 Two regional workshops for training the trainers, in support of A 2.2
($ 2300 per participant) x (4 participants per country) x (2 workshops)
x (5 countries) = $92,000

33 000
230 000