Innovative markets for sustainable agriculture: How innovations in market institutions encourage sustainable agriculture in developing countries

This book (PDF) written by the FAO and the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) is about innovative approaches that enable markets to act as incentives in the transition towards sustainable agriculture in developing countries. It is based on a survey study done between 2013 and 2015. 15 cases from around the world provide insights into how small-scale initiatives that use sustainable production practices are supported by market demand, and create innovations in the institutions that govern sustainable practices and market exchanges. These cases respond to both local and distant consumers’ concerns about the quality of the food that they eat. The book evidences that the initiatives rely upon social values  to adapt sustainable practices to local contexts, while creating new market outlets for food products. Specifically, private sector and civil society actors are leading partnerships with the public sector to build market infrastructure, integrate sustainable agriculture into private and public education and extension programmes, and ensure the exchange of transparent information about market opportunities. The study concludes with four results on how market based solutions can help with the transition towards sustainable agriculture: 1) System innovations that allow new rules for marketing and assuring the sustainable qualities of products; 2) New forms of organization that permit actors to play multiple roles in the food system; 3) New forms of market exchange, such as box schemes, university kiosks, public procurement or systems of seed exchanges; and 4) new technologies for sustainable agriculture.