Ms. Kudzai Mukumbi is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics at Michigan State University. Her current research focuses on the effects of large food retailer/manufacturers on the organic food supply chain in the United States. The increasing levels of industrialization and concentration in organic agriculture have important implications on all organic supply chain participants. This is an important issue because for many years organic food production has been associated with: small scale farmers, support for local farmers, premium prices and the highest environmental and quality standards possible. Since sustainability is a fundamental value of the organic movement; therefore the question that remains is whether or not the large agribusiness corporations will be able to uphold these values. By conducting a survey, Kudzai’s research seeks to estimate the potential benefits or costs to society of these recent developments and to inform supply chain players; farmer, environmental and policy advocacy groups of the policy implications of the increasing participation of the large retailer/manufacturers in the organic supply chain.

Ms. Hikuepi Katjiuongua is a student in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Michigan State University. Her current research focuses on the trade policy reforms of the European Union with African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. The trade policy reforms entails a transition from the historical non-reciprocal preferential market access of ACP countries into the EU market toward a new trading regime that is compatible with WTO rules (i.e. requires reciprocal free trade arrangement). Uncertainty regarding the economic effects of the proposed trading regime, called the Economic Partnership Agreements, abounds. Ms. Katjiuongua’s research focuses on the potential effects of EU trade policy reforms on Namibia’s beef sector. Namibia exports almost 50% of its beef duty free into the EU market under the beef protocol of the old trading regime. The proposed trade policy has profound implications for various actors throughout Namibia’s beef supply chain. Using primary data and secondary trade data Katjiuongua’s research will estimate the potential economic impact of EU trade policy reforms on Namibia’s beef industry.