Fehér-Beke: Agricultural and Environmental Policies (DRMZ)

The book entitled Agricultural and Environmental Policies fills a gap in the Hungarian agricultural economics book market. It examines issues related to agricultural and food policies, why and how governments implement food and agricultural policies and why these policies vary at different stages in a country’s economic development. It discusses the nature of public policies implemented by countries. A special focus has been made on the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union (CAP), more specifically on its history, reforms, recent trends and rural development measures.

The book consists of thirteen different chapters. The first chapter deals with the role of agriculture, the second chapter shows the challenges in global food security, the third chapter analyses the necessity of agricultural and food policies and groups associated policy measures. The fourth chapter overviews the history of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and its reforms, while the fifth chapter goes into the details of the European rural development policy. The sixth chapter analyses the institutional background of agri-food policies, the seventh chapter investigates the US agricultural policy, the eighth chapter analyses the relationship between agriculture and the environment, together with associated policies. The ninth chapter is about food safety and quality issues, while the tenth deals with cooperation issues in agriculture. The eleventh chapter shows the main trends in global agri-food trade with its institutional background, while the twelfth chapter analyses environmental policies of the EU. Last but not least, the thirteenth chapter is written on the history of Hungarian agriculture which could serve as a good example for future decision-makers in less developed countries.

Before each chapter, there is a list of introductory questions that tie the chapter’s main theme to topics that students already know. Each chapter then ends with a list of on-line videos and review questions. The former provides students with additional information on the text and the latter tests the most important factual information that is covered in the text in order to examine student comprehension.

The authors hope that the book will empower students, regardless of their background, to influence decision-making and implement sustainable agricultural policies in the future.

293 pages

Content:

PREFACE

1. THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURE IN THE NATIONAL ECONOMY

1.1. Distinguishing characteristics

1.2. Agriculture and economic development

2. GLOBAL FOOD CHALLENGES

2.1. Changing demand for food

2.2. Water stress and water scarcity

2.3. Food loss and waste

2.4. Biodiversity

2.5. Genetically Modified Organisations

3. POLICY MEASURES TO IMPLEMENT THE AGRICULTURAL POLICY

3.1. What is policy?

3.2. Agricultural policy

3.3. A classification of policy decisions

4. THE COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

4.1. The beginnings of the CAP

4.2. Hungarian agriculture and the CAP

4.3. The 2013 CAP Reform

5. RURAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY – THE SECOND PILLAR OF THE CAP

5.1. Rural vs. urban

5.2. What is Rural Development

5.3. How the Second Pillar of the CAP evolved

5.4. Rural Development policy in the 2014-2020 programming period

6. AGRICULTURAL INSTITUTIONS

6.1. The Ministry of Agriculture

6.2. The CAP Paying Agency

6.3. Implementing the agricultural policy in Hungary

7. AGRICULTURAL POLICY OF THE US

7.1. Background and influencing factors

7.2. The beneficiaries of the Farm Bill

7.3. The 2014 Farm Bill

7.4. Support programmes in the EU and in the US

8. SUSTAINABILITY IN AGRICULTURE

8.1. Defining the concept

8.2. Measurement and indicators

8.3. Measuring the performance of the 2014-2020 CAP

8.4. The institutional system and future of the CAP and agricultural sustainability

9. KEY COMPONENTS OF FOOD POLICY

9.1. Food control

9.2. Food safety

9.3. Food quality

10. AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES

10.1. Role and types of cooperatives

10.2. Agri-cooperatives in the EU

10.3. Producer-owned organisations in Hungary

11. INTERNATIONAL TRADE - INSTITUTIONS AND REGULATIONS

11.1. The impact of trade

11.2. Major trade barriers

11.3. Geopolitical centres of influence

11.4. The World Trade Organization

11.5. Trade policy and food security

12. ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY OF THE EU

12.1. Definition

12.2. The evolution of the policy

12.3. Policy principles

12.4. Policy instruments

12.5. The Approximation of environmental legislation

13. THE LESSONS OF HISTORY - AGRICULTURAL POLICY IN HUNGARY

13.1. Between 1930s and the 1980s

13.2. Transition from a centrally-planned to a market economy: 1990 – 2004

13.3. The impact of joining the EU

ANNEX 1. ABBREVIATIONS, ACRONYMS

LIST OF FIGURES

LIST OF TABLES

LIST OF MAPS

REFERENCES