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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Delegation of the European Commission to Thailand are organizing a full-day regional conference on “Rural Development and agricultural and food quality linked to geographical origin in Asia: lessons and perspectives” on Thursday 11 June. The Conference will follow a 3-day technical consultation of Asian experts (by invitation only) which will discuss the potentials, drawbacks and procedures to implement management systems of agricultural and food quality linked to geographical origin in Asia. The experts will work on policy recommendations and action plans on how best to support the actors of Asian agrifood supply chains who wish to link their products to their geographical origin and traditional know-how.

The Conference will allow those results and recommendations from the experts to be shared and discussed with a larger audience of agricultural and food industry stakeholders.


Objectives of the conference

Asian countries all demonstrate a food culture which has been elaborated over time with agriculture and food systems developing alongside human civilizations in the various agro-ecological zones of the region. As such, the concept of food quality linked to its origin is very natural to most Asian consumers. Many Asian agricultural products have even developed an international reputation for quality linked to their origin.

FAO, and the Delegation of the European Commission to Thailand will convene this conference to share information on the current status of rural development and agricultural and food quality linked to geographical origin in Asia. Indeed, the countries in the region have chosen different institutional options to manage this specific quality scheme. The conference will also discuss best practices for the Asian region in their implementation at national and local levels.

Technical experts from different Asian countries that are already involved in developing quality linked to geographical origin will be present to share their knowledge and expertise with you. This conference will allow you to network with a veritable who’s who in the field of agricultural and food quality linked to geographical origin in Asia.


What is quality linked to geographical origin?

Some agricultural and food products are distinguished from one another by certain characteristics, qualities or reputations resulting essentially from their geographical origin. This differentiation can be attributed to the unique local features of the product, its history or its distinctive character linked to natural or human factors such as soil, climate, local know-how and traditions. Generally, these characteristics are already recognized to some extent by consumers at local, national or even international level. Examples of such products from Asia include Darjeeling Tea from India, Boloven Coffee from the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Longjing Tea from China, Thai silk, Phu Quoc Fish Sauce from Viet Nam, etc.

For more details on food quality linked to geographical origin, please visit:

http://www.foodquality-origin.org/eng/index.html


Why is Quality & Origin important?

Agricultural and food products with quality linked to origin can increase food security, inasmuch as they contribute to rural development and the preservation of food diversity. They also offer consumers a wider choice provided consumers are able to recognize the specific nature of the product through information, designation or labeling.

Thanks to the link between such products and their areas of origin, they can help to preserve natural resources, maintain traditions, strengthen the organization of local stakeholders and prevent delocalization and rural exodus.

Thanks to their recognized reputation, these products of origin-linked quality can also be the focus of local and international marketing chains, with potential benefits from the added value intrinsically contained in the product itself.

The member states of the World Trade Organization recognize a special status for Geographical Indications enabling better protection of the intellectual property of the products’ producers and access to potentially lucrative export markets.

However, positive effects are not automatic to registration: to manage all the potentials for development of quality linked to geographical origin, the institutional platforms developed by the industry stakeholders and their governments are particularly important elements of success of all development initiatives around agricultural and food quality linked to geographical origin.


Who will benefit from the Quality & Origin conference?

1. Government officials involved in managing agriculture, agro-industries, trade and intellectual property rights
2. Local government officials and public organizations involved in rural development
3. Producers, agro-industry processors and distributors, exporters
4. Non-government organizations involved in rural development
5. Research and development centres involved in rural development
6. Certifying bodies
7. International organizations involved in rural development
8. Consumer associations