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| Liberalisation of Agricultural Trade – The way forward for sustainable development? The challenge is creating an agricultural trade-regime oriented towards the alleviation of hunger and the creation of sustainable development. But can the creation of a single world market for agricultural goods be the answer? |
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Within the WTO few questions are as bitterly contested as the reform of the Agreement on Agriculture. And with few of them is so much is at stake both in terms of the alleviation of hunger and poverty and with regard to an ecological reform of agricultural policies. More than half of the population in developing countries is engaged in farming, four out of five undernourished people live in rural areas. No other activity has shaped our planet as much as farming and has had such an enormous impact on soils, water, and on biodiversity. At a recent workshop held by the German Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture on “Policies against hunger III” the central issue debated was “Liberalisation of agricultural trade – a solution?”. The two essays presented in this Global Issue Paper by German agricultural trade-expert Marita Wiggerthale will answer this highly controversial question in the negative. The first essay is an introduction to the issue of “Food Security and Agricultural Trade”: Structured along the lines of the main issues debated in the current Doha Round (market access, export competition, domestic support) it provides baseline information for each issue followed by objectives for the WTO agriculture negotiations, formulated with a view to food security.The second essay “Development Instead of Free Trade” combines a detailed analysis of the WTO Framework Agreement finalised in July 2004 with a passionate plea for an agricultural trade regime that is genuinely oriented towards human development needs. With the publication of these two contributions the Heinrich Böll Foundation wishes to contribute to the public debate on the socio-ecological and equitable design of globalisation. Marita Wiggerthale’s contribution to this discussion is only a beginning. In early 2005 we will, in cooperation with Misereor, instigate an international dialogue, moderated by the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, Energy from which we hope to gain further answers to the question of what might constitute a truly sustainable agricultural trade regime. Preface to the Paper by Jörg Haas, Department Head Ecology and Sustainable Development, HBF GLOBAL ISSUE PAPER NO. 13 by Marita Wiggerthale
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