MATS aims to identify key leverage points for changes in agricultural trade policy that foster the positive and reduce the negative impacts of trade on sustainable development and human rights. Particular attention is paid to SDG1 No Poverty, SDG2 Zero Hunger and SDG3 Good Health and Wellbeing, as well as SDG6 Clean Water, SDG13 Climate Action and SDG15 Life on Land. 

Focus is on improving the governance, design and implementation of trade practices, regimes and policies at national, EU, African and global levels. 

In implementation, MATS develops and pilots new tools for a systemic analysis, and assessment, of the interactions between agricultural trade, investments, sustainability and development.

The main project outputs are: 

(1) New quantitative and qualitative insights on the interactions between agricultural markets, trade, investments, policy, environmental sustainability and human wellbeing, underpinned, and illustrated, by 15 in-depth case studies. 

(2) A set of Discussion Papers and Policy Briefs on the impacts of EU, African and WTO policies with their synergies and trade-offs, on transition pathways for desirable changes in trade relations and instruments with recommendations for enhancing the coherence of agricultural and trade policies with sustainable development goals and policy. 

(3)	An enhanced civil society–stakeholder–policy dialogue that is supported by an evidence-based communication platform – the Sustainable Agri-Food Trade Hub – which fosters effective collaboration between researchers, policymakers, civil society and the wider stakeholder community.

(4) A set of innovative research tools for the analysis of the interactions between agricultural trade, agricultural and rural investments, policy, innovation, environmental sustainability and human wellbeing, and a suite of communication materials on agricultural markets, trade and sustainability.

For more info on the MATS project see https://sustainable-agri-trade.eu/

MATS H2020

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