ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a context for the two case studies which follow by outlining the nature of cane sugar production and the global sugar economy. The chapter begins with a brief description of the characteristics and history of sugar production and moves on to consider current patterns of production and consumption. After outlining key features of the global sugar economy, including the ACP Sugar Protocol of the Lomé Convention, the chapter relates the development of the sugar sector to the theoretical perspectives described in chapter 4.
