The Transformation of Agri-Food Systems

'There should be a good market for this book. The topic is very timely and a major theme of the new World Development Report 2008. The editors and contributors are world class.'
Derek Byerlee, World Bank

'This is a topic of wide interest and high policy importance. The depth of coverage and excellent synthesis should ensure that the book will have a substantial market in high-level undergraduate and graduate courses in agricultural development. It will have a solid readership among development economists and policy makers as well.'
Mark Rosegrant, International Food Policy Research Institute

The driving forces of income growth, demographic shifts, globalization and technical change have led to a reorganization of food systems from farm to plate. The characteristics of supply chains - particularly the role of supermarkets - linking farmers have changed, from consumption and retail to wholesale, processing, procurement and production. This has had a dramatic effect on smallholder farmers, particularly in developing countries. This book presents a comprehensive framework for assessing the impacts of changing agri-food systems on smallholder farmers, recognizing the importance of heterogeneity between developing countries as well as within them. The book includes a number of case studies from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe, which are used to illustrate differences in food systems' characteristics and trends. The country case studies explore impacts on the small farm sector across different countries, local contexts and farm types.

Published with FAO

Ellen B. McCullough and Prabhu L. Pingali were, at the time of preparation of this book, economists at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Rome, Italy. Kostas G. Stamoulis is an economist at FAO, Italy. Prabhu Pingali is the former president of the International Association of Agricultural Economists.