Sustainability and Production Costs in the Global Farming Sector: Comparative Analysis and Methodologies

This report synthesises the findings from the workshop on “Sustainability and Production Costs in the Global Farming Sector: Comparative Analysis and Methodologies” organised jointly by the IPTS-JRC and the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development in Brussels on 21-22 June 2011. The report constitutes a comprehensive technical overview of the state of production costs calculations for a range of strategic agricultural sectors at global level, and a consideration of the prospects for effective international comparison. Particular attention was given to the methodologies and approaches for data collection and processing, factor market structure and policy inter-linkages, sectoral coverage, horizontal technical issues, and the implications for global agricultural markets. An important part of the report represents policy-relevant conclusions and recommendations for conducting an effective international comparative analysis of production costs.