OECD Trade and Agriculture

What were the key moments, milestones and reports that defined the OECD's work on trade and agriculture in 2024? As we approach the end of another eventful year, we're taking a look back at everything from resilient supply chains to sustainable productivity growth, critical raw materials to seeds — and much more. Stay tuned for our 2024 Year in Review!

🌐COVID-19 had adverse effects on many sectors, including services trade. The new OECD report on risk and resilience of global trade shows that these sectors are bouncing back. Services trade performed relatively well in 2023, driven by the recovery of travel-related services, which were more heavily impacted by the pandemic travel restrictions in 2020-22. The performance of services trade was driven by travel, maintenance and repair, and personal, cultural and recreational services. However, despite high growth rates in these key services sectors post-COVID-19, new OECD data reports that travel and maintenance & repair services have yet to recover fully from the pandemic. Discover the latest trends in all things trade in our🆕report, Risk and Resilience in Global Trade➡️ https://brnw.ch/21wPpov

"Sustainable productivity has three pillars: economic, environmental and social." At the OECD conference on Sustainable Agricultural Productivity, Maria Vrachioli, Senior researcher and lecturer at Technical University of Munich, discussed the importance of striking a balance between complex and useful when developing ways to measure sustainable productivity growth. Watch now ⤵️ https://brnw.ch/21wPnTr

🌍From the electric vehicles to maritime trade and recovery rates post-COVID-19, what’s happened to global trade over the last year? Our 🆕 report delves into the latest trends in trade, touching on modes of transportation and resilience in areas like services trade. Here are 4 things to know: 1️⃣. New OECD data shows that despite high growth rates post-COVID, travel and maintenance & repair services have yet to fully recover from the pandemic. 2️⃣ While energy & agricultural products are often traded via water, high-value or time-sensitive items like electronics & pharmaceuticals rely on air transport. 3️⃣ Though the Suez Canal is the main shipping route between China and Europe, there are some small signs of shifts away from maritime transport due to Red Sea Crisis. 4️⃣There has been a notable increase in market concentration of EVs and EV batteries accounted for by the emergence of China as a new and fast-growing producer. Want to know more? Explore the full report ➡️ https://brnw.ch/21wPkZH

💡Did you know...? Food systems are responsible for 7️⃣0️⃣% global water use. Food systems are vital for providing food security and nutrition for a projected global population of nearly 10 billion by mid-century. They are also central to the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of households around the world. Food systems are not only highly dependent on the environment, but also exert important pressures on it, highlighting the need for better policies. Better policies will require breaking down silos between agriculture, health and environmental policies, and overcoming knowledge gaps. For more insights and practical recommendations, explore the OECD’s comprehensive work on food systems 🌐 https://brnw.ch/21wPjES

"Unless we increase the efficiency with which we're using our natural resources, to feed the world by 2050 will require cutting down essentially all remaining forests... wiping out thousands more species... this is not something in the future. It's something that populations are dealing with right now." Elise Golan, Director for Sustainable Development at the USDA, joined a diverse group of experts at the OECD's recent Conference on Sustainable Agricultural Productivity to discuss these critical issues. We sat down with her to talk about the environmental pressures of feeding a growing global population. Discover the full interview with Elise⤵️ https://brnw.ch/21wPeVL

This week, we hosted a joint webinar with International Trade Centre on our new report, "Understanding Sustainability Initiatives: A Typology Framework." This report aims to aid understanding and comparison of sustainability initiatives. The typology framework offers a practical tool to foster transparency, effectiveness and alignment in sustainability efforts across global value chains. Want to learn more? Explore the new framework➡️https://ohttps://brnw.ch/21wPb83

Today, OECD Trade and Agriculture Director Marion Jansen launched the OECD Free Trade Zone (FTZ) Certification Scheme alongside Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona, who will pilot the Scheme. The Scheme is a major step towards enhancing global trade integrity, offering a voluntary, robust framework that empowers FTZs to demonstrate their commitment to transparency, governance, and adherence to international trade rules. 🔑 Why is this important? 🔵FTZs provide businesses with special conditions, such as lower regulatory burdens and cost savings, driving economic growth and creating jobs. 🔵Certification allows FTZs to distinguish themselves as trusted hubs for international trade by meeting key criteria like transparency and record-keeping. 🔵Accredited Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC) bodies will ensure the certification process is rigorous and aligned with global best practices. As the world faces new economic challenges, FTZs remain a vital component of resilient trade, providing businesses with efficiency, cost savings, and secure governance. For more information on the OECD's work on FTZs, visit: https://brnw.ch/21wP8yV

⏰Tune in today! Don't miss the OECD-International Trade Centre webinar on understanding sustainability initiatives♻️. Our new report offers a structured approach to comparing sustainability initiatives, offering a practical tool for fostering transparency, effectiveness, and alignment in sustainability efforts across global value chains.   Explore the new typology framework with the experts!⤵️

Farmers, their families, and communities form the backbone of rural life and global food systems. Yet, social issues affecting their well-being—especially for women, Indigenous Peoples, and other marginalized groups—remain complex and context-specific, often invisible due to a lack of targeted data. A recent OECD paper presents a framework to explore social sustainability through different dimensions of well-being, ranging from health and livelihoods to social connections and community cohesion. It highlights the critical role of policies that address social challenges specific to agriculture while exploring: 🔷The importance of inclusive data collection to illuminate hidden challenges. 🔷How targeted support can empower vulnerable groups. 🔷The interplay between agricultural transformation, digitalization, and community well-being. By integrating diverse policy insights and international examples, this paper sheds light on how we can better address these systemic social concerns for a more inclusive agricultural tomorrow. 📖 Curious to learn more? See ➡️ https://brnw.ch/21wP4sf