OECD Member Countries' commitment to agricultural policy reforms since the mid 1980s resulted in a broad programme of work. The work programme assesses policy impacts and changes therein on agricultural markets' performance and their effects on international trade.  This work can contibute to government thinking about policy making.

Agricultural policies in OECD Member countries distort domestic and international commodity markets to varying degrees. Understanding how policies affect markets and the differential impacts of policy changes and options assists governments in the design of policies which are both effective in achieving their goals and consistent with agreed criteria for policy reform.

The results of this work are important for people involved with agricultural markets and policies. It provides users with valuable information on market prospects, shows how these are influenced by government policies, and provides economic analysis of policy options to deal with emerging issues in agricultural markets such as biotechnology, market concentration and animal welfare, etc.

The activity is based on economic analysis, often of a quantitative and forward-looking nature. The OECD's Aglink model of agricultural commodity markets is one of the main quantitative tools used in this work. This model and other tools are developed in close co-operation with Member countries, providing a cost-effective interface for outlook and policy analysis.