Logistics and Agro-Food Trade 

A Challenge for the Mediterranean

In a context of globalisation and socio-political upheavals in the Mediterranean, the development of Mediterranean agricultural trade is increasingly determined by the capacity of countries to develop modern infrastructure to facilitate exchanges and the movement of goods as well as to ensure better food security. Organised around the economic developments of Mediterranean agricultural trade, logistical challenges for the exchange of strategic products (grain, fruits and vegetables, meat, olive oil, seafood, etc.) and the infrastructure that condition trade (ports, corridors, multimodal platforms, cold chain, etc.), 

Mediterra 2014 also addresses issues related to sustainability, territorial balance and public policy strategies. Mediterra is a collection of shared expertise and a decision-making tool involving more than 70 international experts with the goal of providing policy-makers, professionals and researchers with the essential strategic indicators and keys to understanding the Mediterranean.

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Introduction

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The Mediterranean Diet

For Sustainable Regional Development

The 2012 edition of Mediterra focuses on the Mediterranean Diet and proposes a multidimensional approach including sociodemographics, health, ecology, business, geo-economics and civil society initiatives.

Caught up in the dynamics of urbanisation and the globalisation of agricultural trade,iIn the Mediterranean, consumers have gradually modified their food practices. Despite the fact that it is the basis of the identity and one of the region’s major assets, the Mediterranean Diet is less and less observed. Pressure on natural resources and the emergence of new private actors increase complexity of diet-related issues.

While it is the subject of debate and research, the Mediterranean Diet must be addressed from a political point of view given the growing awareness of the strategic dimension of agriculture and the crucial role played by food production in the stability and development of societies. Listed as part of the intagible heritage of humanity by the UNESCO, this Diet is now raising questions of environmental responsibility and political action to be taken in order to promote greater regional cooperation.

Involving 49 international experts, the Report has been produced in partnership with the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) and the Mediterranean Diet Foundation (FDM).

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Rethinking Rural Development

Like in other parts of the world, in the Mediterranean awareness is growing on the fact that the future of the region is also based on the development of agriculture and rural areas. Climate change, responsible water resource management, lands dynamics, economic diversification – such are the challenges for the sustainability and competitiveness of Mediterranean farming systems. Mediterra 2009 assesses the agricultural and rural measures taken to implement the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD) and provides a new insight of the policies pursued in rural areas.

Mediterra 2009 is a collection of shared expertise intended as a decision-making tool. Its purpose is to provide all actors, professionals and researchers in the Euro-Mediterranean world with essential strategic indicators and keys for understanding agricultural and rural development. 

Published in collaboration with the Blue Plan, the 2009 edition is available in French, English, Arabic, Spanish and Italian.

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The Future of Agriculture and Food

Published in a context marked by the return of agriculture at the forefront of the international agenda and the re-launch of political debate on the Mediterranean, Mediterra 2008 presents a forward-looking review of the situation of agriculture, food and rural areas in the Mediterranean. Mediterra 2008 highlights the strategic role and multi-sectorial dimension of agriculture, analysing the current trends and identifying priority actions in the region in order to build the future.

On the basis of these multidisciplinary analyses, the report proposes four global scenarios for 2020. Designed for policymakers and professionals in the Euro-Mediterranean region, Mediterra 2008 provides a basis for discussion and decision-making and calls for solidarity regarding agricultural and environmental concerns at Euro-Mediterranean level.

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Terra prize 2009

Press review

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Identity and Quality of Foodstuffs

Mediterra 2007 focuses on the issues of identity, safety and quality of Mediterranean foodstuffs, thus highlighting the impact of designations of origin as a quality guarantee and a protection against imitation and relocation.

This edition proposes an in-depth analysis of the risks exisitng in this field and of consumer perceptions in order to specify the role played by identity, safety and quality in market construction. The milk industry is used as example to illustrate prospects and policies implemented by a number of Mediterranean countries. Maps, charts and tables also detail the indicators of agricultural development in the Mediterranean.

Mediterra 2007 is published in five languages (French, English, Arabic, Spanish and Italian).

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