The Pacific Food System Outlook represents the first regionwide coordinated effort to provide the outlook for the Pacific food system. The food system includes not just production agriculture, but also the whole complex of economic relationships and linkages that tie the region’s food consumers to producers. The goal of the Pacific Food System Outlook is to help increase knowledge about the diverse components of this vital segment of the global economy.

FORWARD:

Rural development in the PECC region is key to the future of the food system. In the midst of rapid urbanization, the urgency for a more efficient food system is growing as food demand becomes more concentrated and markets more sophisticated. Cities need to be better integrated with rural areas to assure the more efficient transmission of economic signals from consumer to food producer.

This will give rural areas and food producers a better chance to produce what the market wants, to raise productivity, and to ultimately improve their own incomes. This year’s Pacific Food System Outlook (PFSO) report examines the role of transportation infrastructures and modern supermarket supply chains in promoting rural development through improved rural-urban integration.

This report draws on the proceedings of the Pacific Food System Outlook project team annual meeting in Beijing, China on July 10, 2007 and a cosponsored workshop on the retail food market transformation in Asia. It also draws on our project’s previous work published in annual reports: A Revolution in Food Retailing (2005), The Role of Transportation Infrastructure in a Seamless Food System (2004), and Where Demographics Will Take The Food System (2003).

For this year’s project, thanks are due to Tom Reardon of Michigan State University who organized the workshop, Emerging Links Between Retail Transformation and Agrifood Trade in Asia, from which we benefited greatly. This workshop was held in conjunction with the symposium, China’s Agricultural Trade: Issues and Prospects, sponsored by the International Agricultural Trade Research Consortium (IATRC).

We thank the China National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (CNCPEC) for hosting our meeting in 2007. Special thanks go to Ambassador Jiang Chengzong, secretary general, and Li Zeren, deputy secretary general, for their warm hospitality and substantive contribution.

We are also grateful to Betty Ip, Director of Public and Business Affairs, PECC International Secretariat, for helping to make this year’s meeting a success and for her ongoing administration of project activities and our part of the PECC Web site.

As usual, we are grateful to the individual economists representing the participating economies of the PECC region for their contributions and continued support. The financial support of Farm Foundation and USDA’s Economic Research Service as well as the support from the country PECC committees continues to be critical in making this multinational project a reality.

We appreciate the exceptional talent of Joe Yacinski and Carol Hardy of Yacinksi Design; the editorial support of Mary Thompson of Farm Foundation; and the program support of Mary Anne Normile, Cheryl Christensen and Neil Conklin, all of ERS.

Walter J. Armbruster
President, Farm Foundation and
Chairman, Pacific Food System Outlook, PECC
William T. Coyle
Senior Economist, Economic Research Service, USDA
Senior Coordinator, Pacific Food System Outlook, PECC

Download Pacific Food System Outlook 2007-2008

PDF format, 1.5MB, 28Pages. December 2007.

Pacific Food System Outlook 2007-2008:
Linkages to growing urban markets spur rural development

This year’s Pacific Food System Outlook (PFSO) report examines the role of transportation infrastructures and modern supermarket supply chains in promoting rural development through improved rural-urban integration.

CONTENTS:

Foreword 2
Coordinators and Forecasting Panel 3
Linkages to Growing Urban Markets
Spur Rural Development 4
The Changing Nature of the Future Food System 4
Transportation Infrastructure 8
Commercial Linkages and Modern Supermarkets 11
Policy Implications 15
References 1 8
Sponsor Profiles 1 9
PE CC Members 2 0
Pacific Economic Cooperation Council 2 2

Visit The Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC ) Website

Overview

The Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC ) is an independent, multi-stakeholder organization committed to the promotion of cooperation and dialogue in the Asia Pacific region. Founded in 1980 at the initiative of Mr. Masayoshi Ohira and Mr. Malcolm Fraser, then Prime Ministers of Japan and Australia, the PECC is a network of member committees composed of individuals and institutions dedicated to promoting cooperation across the region. The Council is one of the three official observers of the APEC process.

Membership Currently PECC has a total of 26 member committees representing the economies of Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands Forum, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the United States, Vietnam, France Pacific Territories and Mongolia and institutional members: the Pacific Trade and Development conference (PAFTAD ) and Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC).

Member committees comprise representatives from business, government, academic, media and civil society who initiate and/or participate in PECC work program while undertaking their own activities to promote Asia Pacific cooperation in their respective economies.

Governance

PECC ’s governing body is its Standing Committee which consists of the chairs of each member committee.

The Standing Committee meets once a year. Day-to-day operations are managed by PECC ’s International Secretariat in Singapore.

Projects

PECC signature projects are decided on by the Standing Committee and undertaken by its member committees.

In addition PECC ’s member committees also collaborate on a number of international projects.

For more information, contact the PECC International Secretariat, 29 Heng Mui Keng Terrace, #07-01, Block A, Singapore 119620, Tel: 65-6737 9823, Fax: 65-6737 9824

Comments (0)

Name

Email

Comment

smaller | bigger

Add Comment