Many European countries have passed due diligence laws. They are supposed to tackle human rights violations - like child labor, or poor working conditions - along the entire supply chain. The European Union is also working on such a law which will also focus on environmental risks in supply chains.

But the new legislation also carries risks. This is what we want to highlight in this episode. We want to focus on the agricultural sector and specifically on smallholder farmers which present particular situations with regards to such regulation with our special focus on the agricultural sector.

Listen to moderator Nicolas Martin and his guest Dr. Bettina Rudloff from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).

Dr Rudloff specialises in European trade and development issues. And she advises stakeholders who negotiate or are affected by trade agreements, so will bring the bigger picture to our show.

Dr. Michael Bruentrup focuses on the local perspective. He is an agricultural economist and expert on rural development and food security at the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE). He has been doing research on the ground for more than 30 years with a focus on West African cotton producers. But he's also been researching other smallholder farmers and agricultural workers and their labour conditions.

https://www.swp-berlin.org/publikation/sustainable-supply-chains-in-the-agricultural-sector-adding-value-instead-of-just-exporting-raw-ma

https://www.weltohnehunger.org/results-details/labels-customs-tariffs-and-supply-chain-legislation-do-they-benefit-or-harm-smallholders.html

https://www.weltohnehunger.org/details/lieferketten-die-grundidee-der-eu-ist-es-zu-unterst%C3%BCtzen-statt-zu-strafen.html

https://www.die-gdi.de/michael-bruentrup/

https://www.swp-berlin.org/wissenschaftler-in/bettina-rudloff