Andean Common Agricultural Policy (PACA): Guidelines for Action (SG/dt 231, 2003)

The document Andean Common Agricultural Policy (PACA): Guidelines for Action, identified as SG/dt 231 and dated August 28, 2003, was prepared by the General Secretariat of the Andean Community as a technical reference for developing a common agricultural policy among member countries. It responds to a request from the Andean Agricultural Committee to present separately the guidelines previously included in the draft PACA. The document proposes actions to harmonize agricultural policies and strengthen value-chain competitiveness, generate and transfer technologies suited to Andean and tropical agroecosystems, support productive restructuring, promote territorial specialization and achieve competitive production scales. It also outlines support programs for small-scale producers, soil and watershed conservation and restoration, alternative rural development and adoption of sustainable agricultural technologies. In trade policy, it proposes removing barriers to intra-community agricultural trade, harmonizing trade-policy instruments, strengthening joint negotiations within the World Trade Organization and with other partners, developing trade-defense mechanisms and improving price formation and market information. The document also examines options for expanding agricultural financing and strengthening the institutional capacity of Andean integration. Its geographic scope covers the Andean Community, particularly Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. For PAESA purposes, it constitutes a regional strategic guidance framework with direct agrifood relevance. It is not an Andean Decision and does not, by itself, establish that all proposed mechanisms were formally adopted or implemented.