ogies can be adapted to local circumstances developing skills within the local community.
     Trade also plays an important role in putting into prac­tice public and private initiatives to encourage the develop­ment of agricultural knowledge, science and technology in the developing world. Private initiatives through the Ford, Rockefeller and Gates Foundations, for example, have sup­ported research directed specifically at the problems of pro­duction in low-income countries. Many aid agencies such as Christian Aid, Oxfam, Farm Africa and World Vision have supported the development of education and the ap­plication of new technologies in farming. While the focus of

much of this activity has been to improve the productivity of traditional farming activities in developing countries as production moves from local self-sufficiency to meet market needs whether at home or abroad, there is a need to employ technologies that cope both with the needs of storage and transport.
     Much of the final value of agricultural products is em­bodied in processing. Imports of processed products have been increasing and this provides new opportunities for de­veloping exporting countries that are able to access and use appropriate technology to meet the safety requirements of importing countries and respond to the needs of their retail-