How Could Trade Policy Better Address Food System Shocks?
Shocks to the food system, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can disrupt supply chains, exacerbate unemployment, and reverse progress fighting hunger and poverty. Climate scientists have also warned that shocks associated with more frequent and intense extreme weather events are among factors set to destabilize markets and undermine food security in years ahead. This paper looks at how trade policy can better address food system shocks, and makes 13 recommendations, structured around four key public policy objectives:
- Ensuring food access and availability for poor consumers
- Safeguarding farmers’ livelihoods in the event of sudden price depressions
- Improving how food markets function by allocating resources more equitably and sustainably
- Rebuilding trust and confidence in global norms and institutions
Participating experts
You might also be interested in
WTO Agriculture Talks: Prospects for progress on SDG 2
This policy brief describes the state of play in agriculture negotiations at the World Trade Organization, including the positions of key members and negotiating coalitions, and looks at possible options for supporting progress on Sustainable Development Goal 2.
A focus on water can lessen climate change’s burn
Canadians need water infrastructure to protect us in the face of mounting risks of flooding, drought, extreme heat, and wildfires.
World Trade Organization rules hamper public food stockholding
World Trade Organization rules must be reformed to allow governments to build and manage public food reserves, providing a critical tool in preventing or mitigating food crises.
World Trade Organization Talks on Agricultural Subsidies Should Consider Trade-Offs Among Trade, Food Security, and the Environment
Facundo Calvo, agricultural policy analyst for IISD, discusses the WTO’s approach to agricultural subsidies from a trade, food security, and an environmental perspective.