Overview of the agricultural trade in Asia and the Pacific Region

Over 900 million people in the Asia-Pacific region live on less than $1.25 a day (ESCAP 2010), making the region home to more than two-thirds of the world’s poor. Most of the region’s poor, for whom agriculture is the primary source of livelihood (FAO 2009), live in rural areas (ADB). Agriculture accounts for a quarter of the gross domestic product (GDP) of Asia-Pacific’s developing countries and employs about 60% of the region’s working population (ESCAP 2008). ESCAP research (2008) shows that improving agricultural productivity could pull 218 million people out of poverty in this region. It can bring investment opportunities for the private sector, and be a driver for boosting agriculturerelated industries. The World Bank (2007) estimates that GDP growth originating in agriculture is at least twice as effective in reducing poverty as GDP growth originating outside agriculture. These figures indisputably show the importance of agriculture in reducing poverty.

Related Subject(s): Agriculture Rural Development and Forestry