The implications of the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture for developing countries

Foreword

Since the conclusion of the Uruguay Round (UR), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has undertaken a number of technical assistance activities including regional workshops and national training seminars related to the impact of the UR and the need for follow-up action. Considerable experience was gained by these training activities on the types of problems faced by developing countries and on the need for analytical capacity building at the national and regional levels to address UR-related issues. In addition, these activities highlighted some of the policies needed to take advantage of market opportunities arising from the UR as well as those required to reduce the costs of adjusting to the changes brought about by the Agreement. This has been a valuable experience which is worth sharing with others.

This Manual is meant to contribute in that direction. It has been prepared jointly by the Policy Assistance Division (TCA) and the Commodities and Trade Division (ESC) of FAO as part of a series of training materials for use in programmes of capacity-building in policy formulation and analysis.

The Manual will help the reader understand the content of the Agreement on Agriculture and the main functions of the World Trade Organisation. More importantly, the manual is valuable to agricultural policy analysts in developing countries, as well as trade and macro-economic policy makers who need to assess the economic and administrative implications of the Agreement on Agriculture. In particular, the manual will, inter alia, help in the formulation of WTO-compatible agricultural domestic and trade policies, help in building the analytical capacity to investigate new trade opportunities and improve the understanding of the impact of the Agreement on a country's food security.

Further multilateral trade discussions are scheduled to begin in 1999, and all developing countries will be affected whether they are Members or not of the World Trade Organization. It is our hope that this volume will increase the awareness about UR issues and help prepare developing countries for future trade negotiations. FAO is committed to continue its technical assistance so that developing countries are well informed and equal partners in the reform process.

We wish to acknowledge with thanks all those who contributed to the preparation of the material in this Manual as well as the editors who assembled this volume.