Understanding Mediterranean agriculture A study of agricultural practices around the Mediterranean basin can help disseminate best practices and enable the EU to design better trade policies. Climate Change and Environment © Thinkstock Agriculture, particularly the cultivation of fruits, vegetables and olives, plays an important role in the economy of countries around the Mediterranean. The EU-funded project 'Market and trade policies for Mediterranean agriculture: the case of fruit/vegetable and olive oil' (Medfrol) aimed to study the macroeconomic environment and agricultural sector of Mediterranean countries. The project described supply chains, provided statistics, benchmarked the different sectors with EU countries and helped foster trade liberalisation with the EU. The initiative considered the Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the EU and current or upcoming free trade agreements under the Barcelona Process. As many changes and agreements have reshaped the sector in recent years, the project aimed to examine the impacts of new policies with new modelling tools. This would allow the project team to propose future action based on sound analysis and realities on the ground. The inclusion of four European states, namely Cyprus, Greece, Malta and Spain, helped make the benchmarking and cross-analysis easier. The project oversaw the fine-tuning of the 13 country reports and 15 agriculture situation reports (SR), which were published on the project's website and disseminated through conferences and international journals. Medfrol also developed a model to analyse impacts on national production, employment levels and household income expected from changes in policies. These reports can help policymaking in different countries and contribute to a healthier agricultural sector across the Mediterranean basin.
