If you have a relevant resource (books, papers, bulletins, etc.) you would like to see announced in this section, please forward a copy for review by the Bridges staff to Malena Sell at msell@ictsd.ch.
THE IMPLICATIONS OF PRIVATE-SECTOR STANDARDS FOR GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES EXPLORING OPTIONS TO FACILITATE MARKET ACCESS FOR DEVELOPING-COUNTRY EXPORTERS OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLES: EXPERIENCES OF ARGENTINA, BRAZIL AND COSTA RICA. By UNCTAD, November 2007. This publication analyses the developmental and market access impact of new, ever more stringent and complex private standards on food safety, health and environmental requirements (mostly set by large and globally acting supermarkets) on fresh fruit and vegetable exports from Central and South American countries. These private standards, although voluntary in legal nature, are often de facto mandatory for producers and exporters through the buying power of those setting and applying them. The wider use of these standards can help to increase efficiency of fruit and vegetable production, offer safer and healthier produce for consumers, improve occupational safety of producers, and facilitate access to lucrative export and domestic markets. Internet: http://www.unctad.org/trade_env/test1/publications/UNCTAD_DITC_TED_2007_2.pdf
MARKET AND WELFARE EFFECTS OF GMO INTRODUCTION IN SMALL OPEN ECONOMIES. By Alejandro Plastina and Konstantinos Giannakas, University of Nebraska. This article tries to sort out how farmers and consumers in small "open" developing economies would be affected by the introduction of genetically modified (GM) products. Economic modeling indicates that while the agronomic benefits associated with the introduction of the first-generation, farmer-oriented GM products are "certainly important," their presence does not guarantee welfare gains to small developing countries. The introduction of GM products is shown to create winners and losers among the consumers and producers of these small open economies. The model finds that the hypothetical introduction of GM products without domestic labeling requirements creates more economic benefits for consumers than when labels are required. Internet: http://www.agbioforum.org/v10n2/v10n2a05-giannakas.htm