The evaluation of agricultural policies and rural development is an evolving area of expertise
in which ADE has gained solid experience since the 1990s. These policies provide support
to the rural and agricultural world in its adaptation to economic, social and environmental
challenges. The evaluation of these public policies is carried out at regional, national and
European level, in Europe and in third countries.

This area of expertise focuses in particular on evaluating the results and impacts of these
policies, formulating recommendations regarding their effectiveness and efficiency, and
defining the orientations to be developed. These evaluations are often regulatory and the
studies contribute to making the framework evolve.

ADE has recognised capacities in value chain analysis and in the analysis of policies to promote the related products, in Europe and in third countries. This area of expertise takes on great importance in the context of the globalised economy and the many crises which have affected the agricultural value chains in recent years.

The analysis of agricultural value chains covers the various stakeholders concerned and their socioeconomic implication, as well as technologies, knowledge and the authorities which govern them and go beyond the strictly economic framework.

Food safety and food security are recurring issues which ADE pays special attention to and which specifically concern third countries confronted with insecurity constraints. The support provided by such programmes consists in proposing pertinent and essential elements to consider in the form of observations, lessons, conclusions and recommendations, and in defining strategies aimed at reducing the food insecurity of the most helpless populations faced with this problem.

This area of expertise was recently developed by ADE in response to the strengthening of public policies in these areas, in developed as well as developing countries. The growing considerations regarding the environment and climate change, which have major repercussions on the entire agricultural sector and food safety and food security, result in extensive mobilisation in favour of the implementation of programmes and concrete actions in the perspective of sustainable development.

An essential challenge for ADE is the interaction between these new policies and socioeconomic challenges and the balanced development of territories. ADE proposes multidisciplinary approaches which guarantee this complementarity.