Creative Commons

This dissertation was written as part of the LLM in Transnational and European Commercial Law, Mediation, Arbitration and Energy Law at the International Hellenic University. Motivation for the present dissertation has been the recent publication of the Legal Guide on Contract Farming (July 2015) jointly drafted by UNIDROIT, FAO and IFAD . Contract farming is a new business model in the agricultural supply chain that meets great acceptance, notably because it entails important advantages for both participants: farmers' have improved access to markets , inputs and technical assistance, as regard s their agricultural production , as well as a guaranteed income, whereas agribusinesses have a stable supply of agricultural products that meet their quality standards. This new business model is implemented through agricultural production contracts, which are agreements that generate certain legal issues and thus their approach is of great interest. The present dissertation analyzes four important issues: the role of third parties involvement in contract farming , the importance of quality standards for the implementation of agricultural production contracts , the legal effects of force majeure on contract farming and the enforcement mechanisms available in agricultural production contracts . Furthermore, this dissertation attempt s to highlight some critical issues that affect contract farming and can contribute to its success and further development . To this aim , deals with the role of public private partnerships, the contribution of agricultural insurance in contract farming arrangements and last but not least the financial mechanisms that can support this business model.