Cross-border chains link farmers with markets.

(From Bangkok Post)

The world of the fresh produce grower is changing at breakneck speed. More than half the population in the developing world is rural and 2.5 billion people worldwide depend on agriculture and cross-border trade for their livelihoods. They are faced with relentless and accelerating change. Although the trends are not new, their impacts are becoming more far-reaching and dramatic and growers need to be aware of them.

Although the food chain as a whole is very profitable, the terms of trade for primary producers have declined, the gap between producer prices and retail prices has grown and family-scale farmers are finding themselves excluded from higher value markets and facing livelihood crises.

Different pressures also face traditional exporters of produce to …