Increasing private investments in agricultural businesses in the southern and eastern Mediterranean region is objective new UN (Food and Agricultural Organizations-FAO) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) joint effort. “Governments in our region of operation have sometimes reacted to the food crisis through short-term policy measures that discouraged private investment in agriculture. Together with FAO, we can help countries respond in a way that better balances the interests of consumers and producers,” said Gilles Mettetal, EBRD Director for Agribusiness. (UN News Centre Sources) The support will come through a series of new technical assistance projects that seek to develop policies and legal frameworks that create a favorable investment climate and foster private sector involvement in agribusiness in countries like Jordan, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. The projects, produced by FAO in conjunction with EBRD, will include policy discussions between government and private agricultural businesses and will address issues such as improvement of rural infrastructure, increasing food safety standards and developing local skills through adequate training. “FAO welcomes the expansion of its cooperation with EBRD to promote private sector investment. Most of the investments needed to tackle food insecurity around the world will come from the private sector, in cooperation with governments and civil society,” said Laurent Thomas, FAO Assistant Director-General for Technical Cooperation. How much of this initiative will assist small farmers is not yet evident. However, there has been significant debate over role of Big-Agro Business and the greater efficiency of small farmers and benefits of organic farming. See Our Blog for Video Report - diplomaticallyincorrect.org/films/blog_post/organic-products-get-un-push/45524 FAO and EBRD began working together in 1994 and since then have implemented over 80 technical assistance projects for a total value of about $9.4 million. Link to FAO Program Description & More - www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/129871/icode/ By Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey – Follow @MuhamedSacirbey Facebook = Become a Fan at “Diplomatically Incorrect” Twitter – Follow us at DiplomaticallyX For current news event articles related to International Finance & Economy, see our popular video blogs at “International Financial Crisis” Channel - diplomaticallyincorrect.org/c/international-financial-crisis