New Trends in Global Value Chains Have Implications for Food and Nutrition Security
Contemporary globalization has been marked by significant shifts in the organization and governance of global value chains, says Gary Gereffi of the Center on Globaliztion, Governance & Competitiveness (CGGC) at Duke University. These changes imply more opportunities for connection and for economic, social and environmental upgrading in large emerging economies, as well as challenges for small countries and firms on the periphery.
Gereffi delivered the keynote lecture at a workshop on the implications of these changes in global value chains for food and nutrition security in Rome in September 2014. The workshop, which drew more than 100 participants from trade agencies, international research centers, and national and global financial institutions, examined macroeconomic issues at the intersection of global value chains and food and nutrition security, as well as individual case studies by product or country. A summary of the proceedings, including links to presentations and an overview of roundtable discussions and conclusions, was recently released by the organizers (AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD BELOW).
Hosted by the Roma Tre University Department of Economics, the workshop was organized by the CGGC, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and the Manlio Rossi-Doria Centre for Economic and Social Research in collaboration with the 7th EU Research Programme FOODSECURE .
From the perspective of the organizers, the true "litmus test" for the overall success of the event is not the scope of one meeting of the minds, but the ability to foster ongoing dialogue among researchers and stakeholders involved with global value chains and/or food and nutrition security. With this in mind, proposals regarding research projects, future meetings, or other possible networking activities are welcome and should be directed to the Rossi-Doria Centre ( centro.rossidoria@uniroma3.it ).
This article was written by Rachel Kohn.
Rachel Kohn is the Communications Specialist for the Markets, Trade and Institutions Division (MTID) at IFPRI.