The Rural Infrastructure and Agro-Industries Division of FAO advocates and supports the development of entrepreneurship in agricultural support services. The main aim of the Division is to assist farms and agribusinesses in developing managerial and technical skills for supporting production, post-harvest, infrastructural, marketing and financial operations related to developing and improving efficiency, effectiveness, competitiveness, and profitability of agricultural and food enterprises. FAO's Agribusiness Development Programme advises on policies and strategies to improve agribusiness competitiveness, including fostering better coordination and linkages among business partners. It also produces training materials, in particular for small farmers and for managers of agro-processing enterprises who need technical, managerial and business planning training. As part of its core services, the Division provides support in Food Quality Assurance and Certification. AGS has been working for many years on various protective regulations to control food imports, and on public or private standards and codes of practices. For example, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) are all tools for assuring product quality, and in some countries they have been made compulsory by law. Private standards, for example, GlobalGAP, are required for exporting products to certain retailers in certain markets. Organic standards and procedures, initiated by civil society, have become part of the legal and institutional framework of many countries. There are also voluntary systems for certifying quality assurance programmes, for example the International Standards Organization (ISO) standards. Food quality is therefore seen as a prerequisite for success in an ever more competitive agrifood market and is becoming a major source of competitive advantage. Examples of studies, projects and trainings carried out by the Division are available on http://www.fao.org/ag/ags/subjects/en/agribusiness/foodquality.html.

The working group on tea is currently working on Geographical Indications for Tea. See the related report in (http://www.fao.org/unfao/bodies/ccp/tea/2008/index_en.htm), (faire mail à Mamoun)