Agriculture and the food processing industries represent important components of the economies of Brazil and Canada, as is the case in most countries of the Western Hemisphere. The farm and food sectors offer important opportunities for growth in economic activity, employment and trade, as we look forward to rapidly expanding world food demand in the 21 century. In the modern era of more open and integrated markets, the role of communications, trade and investments flows is expanding rapidly, as is the need to work continuously to improve the multilateral and regional trading framework. (MV)