Worldwide, there are increasing social expectations and consumer demand for specific quality food and agricultural products, in relation with different areas, such as: preservation of environment, social welfare and equity, traditions, culture and geographical origin of products. These products have some characteristics that may be linked to composition, production method or marketing, and that allow for product differentiation and value-adding. A growing number of schemes and legal instruments are associated with promotion and regulation of such differentiation practices. These approaches can be an opportunity for rural development when they allow better income, contribute to local resources conservation and social equity. However, they can also generate exclusion, especially for small-scale producers.

Different departments within FAO are working on these questions and in 2007 they have initiated an informal Interdepartmental Working Group on "voluntary standards for specific quality products", as response to the countries needs, to develop knowledge and create synergies among sectors. 

This working group aims to support policy and strategy of FAO in the field of voluntary standards for specific quality products, developing recommendation on specific mechanisms for member countries. A resource paper is under process. The working group also draws on lessons from field projects to develop a guide for decision makers in choosing suitable standards. In this context, a roundtable on the voluntary standards and product specific quality was held in Africa by the Rural and Agro-industries Division (AGS). The report of the workshop is available in English.

The Rural and Agro-industries Division (AGS) has organized a roundtable,  in the framework of the Inter-departmental Group (IDWG) on voluntary standards for specific quality products, to bring together key stakeholders involved in this area.
The meeting aimed to build consensus on a strategy of intervention regarding these voluntary standards, specific quality labels in particular, on which entrepreneurs could draw on to establish their privileged opportunity. The focus has been to clarify the current situation, including opportunities and areas of action, to identify services that need to be implemented, and how to create and capture added value, realistically, through the adoption of strategies for the development of specific quality. 
This event was also designed to identify areas of work for the FAO. It was developed along three major strategic axes:

1. How to advocate for Africa and what is the importance of specific quality products in the region?
2.  What are the key issues to be addressed by  policy makers for the implementation of these strategies?
3. How could we support the actors along the value chain? How should business model be designed and what kind of support is needed by these organisations?

The report of the workshop is available in English.

The Mountain Products Programme implemented by FAO in the context of the Mountain Partnership, aims to improve the income and livelihoods of mountain communities through improved production and marketing of local, quality products.
During the period 2004–2007, the Mountain Products Programme collaborated with CIHEAM, through the Montpellier and Bari Mediterranean Agriculture Institutes, on sustainable agricultural development in mountain areas and the promotion of quality products. This partnership has had two main outputs:

• A first survey of mountain products in the Mediterranean region (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Turkey), including an analysis of key success factors and constraints in economic, institutional, socio-cultural and technological terms.
  
  
• The development of Cyberterroirs, an internet-based information system concerning origin-linked products from mountain areas of Mediterranean countries (Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon and Syria), identifying and facilitating projects for the promotion of such products.

The remuneration of product quality in mountain regions contributes to strengthen rural communities’ livelihoods. The SARD-M project assesses the strengths and weaknesses of mountain policies, including social, economic, institutional and environmental aspects, in relation to sustainable agriculture and rural development principles. It has also analyzed positive and negative externalities of mountain regions through a comparative review of existing methods and tools. Product quality labelling linked to geographical indication is a relevant issue in mountain regions where the added value of these products may be high. The SARD-M project addressed the potential of product quality label in a discussion paper on remuneration of positive externalities showing the importance of quality labels as remuneration mechanism in mountains (Robinson, 2007. Valorisation of positive mountain externalities through policies and market).

Moreover, two other reports outline the role of the product value remuneration in mountain region in the future work of SARD-M (Report on Valorisation of positive externalities within the framework of the SARD-M Project andReport on Mechanisms used for valorising positive externalities).

The IPROMO programme has been organized by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat at FAO, the UNESCO and the University of Turin. The final objective of this programme is the training of students, researchers, technicians for the management of mountain areas, characterised by considerable ecological, social, economical complexity.

The FAO, particularly through the Quality and Origin programme, participated to this programme and it contributes to the training, by proposing specific modules on the valorisation of products of quality linked to geographical origin.  

The Rural and Agro-industries Division (AGS) of the 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 the web page.

The adoption of more sustainable practices in agricultural production and trade is a primary concern for FAO. Voluntary certification initiatives may benefit farmers and farm workers, as they can potentially lead to increased return on their labour, better working conditions and longer term environmental improvement. They may offer small farmers an opportunity to stay in business, through the support of consumers who are willing to pay a price premium. These initiatives may also benefit the local communities surrounding the farms and the environment. When they lead to local development through higher incomes, job creation and capacity building, they benefit society as a whole.

The Trade and Markets Division (EST) of FAO has been working on environmental and social certification in agriculture since 1999. It has carried out economic analyses of trade in certified products and market studies. These papers, as well as the reports of its expert consultation and workshops on certification, can be found in its web Portal on environmental and social certification.

The Division has also produced a series of manuals on regulations and certification for agricultural exports covering 5 regions of the world. These manuals can be downloaded in PDF format from the site.   

The FAO Investment Centre (TCI) leads FAO’s efforts to generate increased and more effective public and private investment in agriculture and rural development. This means helping countries make agriculture and rural development investment strategies a greater part of their national and regional development plans. The Investment Centre Division has been working on projects related to GIs and origin-linked quality labels in the Eastern European countries in connection with the Eastagri network (e.g. Support to Wine GIs in Georgia, Capacity building on GIs in Croatia, Study Tour on Italian Dairy GIs for a Russian Dairy Experts, Technical Workshop on GIs in the context of EastAgri's Annual Meeting in Paris of Eastagri, etc.)