Agriculture in Trade Agreements
Assisting developing countries in implementing current trade agreements and in preparing for trade negotiations is a core activity of FAO. Support to the implementation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Uruguay Round Agreements and to the negotiations on agriculture under the Doha Round have been prominent activities in this area. Regional trade agreements (RTAs) are also becoming increasingly important. While agriculture is an integral part of these agreements, its treatment in RTAs has been a divisive policy issue.
Through the 2014 Malabo Declaration, African governments made a specific and clear commitment to boosting intra-African trade in agricultural commodities and services, and to harnessing market and trade opportunities locally, regionally, and internationally. This is increasingly regarded as a means to promote agricultural transformation in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), since it can help address the key challenges to agricultural development in the region such as diverse agro-ecological systems, and small national markets.
The increasing need for trade experts to support trade related development agenda in the region has posed a major challenge. In most cases, national and regional institutions do not have the technical capacity and resources to map out national, sub-regional and regional level trade priorities and constraints; to empirically assess the implications of their multiple memberships on trade, food security and nutrition; to formulate appropriate mitigation policies and strategies; or to negotiate trade agreements that boost gains from trade and specialization.
This course therefore seeks to strengthen capacities in the Eastern and Southern Africa region, to develop and implement evidence-based trade policies, and to formulate and negotiate trade agreements, taking into consideration both their needs for economic growth and structural transformation, as well as their food security and nutrition concerns.
By the end of the course, participants will be better able to:
Understand and identify the main provisions of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture (AoA)
Understand and identify the main provisions of the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS), and of other WTO agreements that concern trade-related constraints and procedures;
Describe the treatment of agriculture in the Regional Trade Agreements; and
Contextualize each of the above to the Eastern and Southern Africa region.
The course is composed of four units, each of which comprise of one to three lessons. The first four Units are global in scope, in that they present case studies, examples and evidence from ESA, but also other regions globally. The fourth and last Unit is a designed to cover key topics from the other three units, with a specific focus on the ESA region.
Unit 1: Agriculture in the WTO (Agreement on Agriculture).
Unit 2: WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and other Agreements.
Unit 3: Agriculture in Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs).
Unit 4: Agriculture in Trade Agreements: Eastern and Southern Africa.
The course will be conducted in English over a period of five weeks, organized in four units. The course will be delivered via the e-learning platform developed by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR, http://www.unitar.org), using training materials developed by FAO for the first three Units and TRAPCA for the last Unit. This pedagogical tool will help participants meet the course’s learning objectives through a self-paced study routine with optional and required readings, case study exercises, discussion forums and assessment quizzes. The course will be facilitated and mentored by international experts who have a wealth of practical experience to ensure that real-world examples are integrated into the coursework.
This course is designed to assist representatives from government and related authorities, who are directly involved in the formulation and implementation of agricultural policies and programmes in Eastern and Southern Africa. These may include officials from Ministries of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries; Ministries of Trade, Commerce, Industry; Ministries of Finance, Economy; and Food Safety, Sanitary, Phytosanitary, Veterinary and other authorities.
Private sector participants such as representatives from producer, agro-industry as well as traders associations will also benefit from the course.
Researchers and students with interest in agricultural policy and trade analysis are also encourage to participate.
Priority will be given to policy makers and practitioners who impact agricultural trade through regional, national or sector-level actions, and professionals who are able to convey information and provide technical advice to their constituencies (trainers, professional staff of producer organizations, extension officers etc.)
This course is offered free of charge as part of FAO’s FMM project: “Trade related capacity development for food security and nutrition” in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA). The course will be conducted in English language only. Limited slots are available and will be subject to a selection process conducted by FAO, TRAPCA and UNITAR, taking into account in particular, the geographical distribution and gender balance.
In order to receive the final confirmation of selection, participants would be requested to obtain permission to participate in the course from their direct supervisor.
In the preparation of this course, FAO draws from its extensive experience with providing guidance, capacity building and technical advice to its member countries on the topic of trade and food security, agricultural trade policy and multilateral trade negotiations, as well as its normative work on the SPS issues.
A certificate of completion will be issued to participants who successfully complete all course-related assignments and assessments.
Participants who will show the strongest learning results as evidenced by assessments and meaningful participation in course discussions will be invited by FAO to a follow-up face-to-face workshop. The organizers will also consider in the selection process how the participants will sustain their knowledge and expertise for the benefit of a wider audience in Eastern and Southern Africa. The workshop will take place, in Arusha, Tanzania and will be hosted by trapca. Up to twenty slots for participants from this course will be available. The organizers reserve the right to select eligible participants based on recommendations by the course mentors as well as availability of resources for the workshop.