THE URUGUAY ROUND AGREEMENT ON AGRICULTURE: A REVIEW OF PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES IN THE SADC REGION

Through the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture (URAA), the multilateral trade negotiations saw a turning point in the inclusion of agriculture in the trade liberalization debate. This development bears important implications for developing countries, including those of SADC, who have agricultural as a critical element of their economic growth, poverty alleviation, and food security. This article reviews the progress of SADC countries towards implementation of the URAA. We find that the extent of SADC countries support to the agricultural sector is still within the URAA provisions. However, despite certain preferential trade agreements in place between SADC and the developed world, trade barriers are still high in many developed countries. A barrier-free access to developed country markets has important growth and poverty alleviation implications for SADC countries.