SECTION 43

1. Member States shall cooperate in agriculture, forestry, stockfarming and fishing. The aims of the cooperation are as follows: a) raising the standard of living of rural populations, more particularly by raising incomes through increased agricultural, forestry and fishery production and by creating job opportunities; b) satisfying the food requirements of populations and enhancing food security, inter alia by the quantitative and qualitative improvement of foodstuffs and the definition of a food reserves and trade policy; c) improving rural living and working conditions; d) local upgrading of agricultural production by the processing of vegetable and animal products; e) promotion of the capacity of the populations to carry out their own development, in particular through greater mastery of their technical and economic environment. 2. Accordingly, Member States shall: a) take concerted action to harmonize their agricultural policies; b) have regular exchanges of information on their experiences and the results of the research being carried out in their respective countries and on rural development programmes; c) prepare, as required, joint training and retraining programmes for cadres in existing or future institutions; d) take any necessary action for the progressive preparation of a joint policy, inter alia in the research and training, production, processing and marketing of agricultural, forest, livestock and fishery products. 3. For the purposes of this Chapter, Member States shall cooperate in accordance with Protocol IX attached hereto.