WWF Macroeconomics Programme Office

Addressing the Environmental and Social Effects Associated with Export-led Agricultural Development

Major development institutions have long promoted a model based on export-led agricultural production to developing countries around the world. Yet the impacts of such a model on smallholders, who still make up the majority of the world’s agricultural production, have been mixed. And when export agriculture leads to large-scale, monocrop plantations, there are significant tradeoffs for the environment, including the ecosystem services and natural resources on which rural livelihoods depend. A new MPO project with WWF’s Greater Mekong and Southern Africa programs is seeking to address specific examples of these challenges in four countries (Laos, Cambodia, Malawi, and Zambia) through better policies, planning, and governance.

For more information download the project brochure.

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