Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)

An Introduction
World agriculture in the twenty-first century is faced with three main challenges: 1) to
improve food security, rural livelihoods and income; 2) to satisfy the increasing and
diversified demands for safe food and other products; and, 3) to conserve and protect
natural resources. These challenges have been articulated by the international community
through the World Food Summit Plan of Action and the Millennium Development Goals with
specific targets to be met by 2015.
Agriculture is expected to assure food security in a range of settings, now and in the future,
and is increasingly called upon to produce positive environmental, social and economic
benefits. While agriculture is a key contributor to sustainable development and to meeting
these challenges, the paradigm is dramatically shifting for its primary producers in the
context of a rapidly changing food economy and globalization.
These challenges can be tackled in part through a Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)
approach - a means to concretely contribute to environmental, economic and social
sustainability of on-farm production resulting in safe and healthy food and non-food
agricultural products. A GAP approach can address the demand-side priorities of consumers
and retailers, the supply-side priorities of producers and labourers, and those institutions and
services that are bridging supply and demand. While a GAP approach may respond to the
growing demands of increasingly globalized and integrated agricultural sectors, it can have
important implications for local and national markets.
The development of a GAP approach by FAO emerges against an expanding backdrop of
codes, standards and schemes relating to agricultural practices and products. In this context,
the term GAP has many different meanings. For example, it is used to refer to private,
voluntary and non-regulatory applications that are being developed in a number of forms by
the private sector, civil society organizations and governments to meet farmers’ and
consumers' needs and specific requirements in the food production chain. It is also formally
recognised in international regulatory framework and associated codes of practice to
minimize or prevent the contamination of food.
Given the trend in development and adoption of codes and standards by different actors,
and cognizant of the challenges of, and commitments to, world agriculture, FAO initiated a
process of consultation to seek understanding and consensus on the principles, indicators
and means of applying GAP. Following on two initial electronic conferences and elaboration
of GAP concepts in the context of SARD, the 17th Session of the Committee on Agriculture
(COAG) in April 2003 recommended that FAO continue its initial work on a GAP approach.
This could include awareness raising, information exchange, economic analysis, pilot
projects, technical assistance and capacity building, with a special focus on the needs of
developing countries.
As follow up to the COAG discussions an Expert Consultation on a GAP approach was held
during 10-12 November 2003. It aimed to review and confirm the overall concept, provide
guidance on addressing concerns, identify strategies for implementation and recommend
actions for FAO in the development and implementation of a GAP approach. Experts
representing various disciplines and the private, public and civil society sectors from
Argentina, Canada, Croatia, Ethiopia, France, Germany, India, Namibia, New Zealand,
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Malaysia, the Philippines, Uganda, United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as
selected experts from FAO, participated in the Consultation.
The Expert Consultation consisted of a mix of chaired presentations, facilitated dialogue,
working groups, and opportunities for general comments. Three background documents1
were provided to participants: an overall concept paper on developing a Good Agriculture
Practices approach was supported by two papers focusing on a) a summary analysis of the
types of existing codes, standards and guidelines related to agricultural practices and b)
incentives for adoption of Good Agricultural Practices by farmers and other actors in the
agricultural sector. These documents were designed to serve a starting point for the
discussions
The consultation provided a wealth of insights and suggestions, the most significant of which
is that a GAP approach should be seen as a means to an end (i.e. to achieve environmental,
economic and social sustainability of on-farm production resulting in safe and healthy food
and non-food agricultural products), rather than an end itself. The preliminary
recommendations for FAO included:
1. Describe and define the concept of GAP that includes the following aspects:
• three pillars of sustainability: Good Agricultural Practices should be economically viable,
environmentally sustainable, and socially acceptable; inclusive of food safety and quality
dimensions,
• with a focus on primary production
• taking into account existing voluntary and mandatory codes of practices and guidelines in
agriculture and
• within a given incentives and institutional context.
2. Identify and compare existing GAP related schemes (for consistency) along with drivers
and motivation and identify experience of countries practising GAP in different formats.
3. Elaborate global principles as well as guidelines for developing and tailoring GAPs within a
given context (based on menu of possible applications and the outcome desired).
4. Organise multi-stakeholder national and regional workshops for networking and promoting
mechanisms to enable the development of agreed GAPs in local contexts.
5. Create capacity through:
􀂃 awareness creation and education of actors in the market chain (including consumers)
􀂃 awareness creation among policy makers
􀂃 information sharing through databases, portal, web (ecosystem, commodity, etc)
􀂃 pilot projects at the national and regional level
􀂃 training of trainers and farmer leaders.
6. Mobilise resources for development and application of a GAP approach.