Studying agrarian transition in more than 25 countries from Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and East Asia, this book is the first effort to analyze the economics and politics of the reforms in agriculture by comparing the reform processes, their causes and their effects across this vast region.

Using original research from Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America this book reviews the recent restructuring of the global agri-food industry and the dramatic rise of global retail chains in developing and transition countries. It focuses on the private standards and requirements imposed by multinational companies investing in these countries and the resulting changes to existing supply chains. It also examines the impact of these changes on local producers, particularly poor farmers, and considers the long-term policy implications in terms of growth and poverty.

After five years of debates, consultations and negotiations, the European institutions reached an agreement in 2013 on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the 2014-2020 period. The outcome has major implications for the EU's budget and farmers' incomes, but also for Europe's environment, its contribution to global climate change and to food security in the EU and in the world. It was decided to spend more than 400 billion during the rest of the decade on the CAP. The official claims are that the new CAP will take better account of society's expectations and lead to far-reaching changes...