Extrait
International Agricultural Trade Liberalisation and Food Security: Risks Associated with a Fully Liberalised Global Marketplace
1 Introduction
Liberalisation of industrial markets can be seen as one of the greater accomplishments of the international community since the Second World War. Increased openness of markets has contributed to making industrial production more efficient, thus reducing the price of manufactured goods and, in principle, improving overall quality of life. This success has led to efforts, within the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and its successor, the World Trade Organization (WTO), to extend liberalisation to other areas of trade, such as trade in services and agricultural products.Some observers argue, however, that agriculture should benefit from a different status than other industries in the global marketplace, and that agricultural markets should not be liberalised where this would induce a large-scale outsourcing of food production.1 Arguments range from the importance of maintaining agriculture in order to keep rural culture alive to ecological issues. In the context of trade liberalisation, these considerations relating to the nature of agriculture and its broader contribution to the society are commonly called "non-trade concerns."One non-trade concern that has regained attention over the past couple of years is food security. In spring 2008, the world was experiencing a food crisis that, according to the final declaration adopted by the 2008 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) summit "has highlighted the fragility of the world's food systems and their vulnerability to shocks." (FAO 2008b) Over the 2 years leading up to spring 2008, world food prices soared,2 causing unrest in many of the poorest countries in the world. Mauritania, Senegal, and Haiti, for example, experienced violent protests related to rising food prices. There were also shortages on international food markets, especially for rice. Although the prices have since then retreated, factors such as climate change, energy security, water scarcity, competition for land, and growing demand for food are likely to contribute to continued price volatility (Evans 2009). The 2008 food-price hike has made many import-dependent countries more aware of the possibility of future price volatility, and has raised concerns about their long-term food security and the resilience of their supply chains in times of crisis.3Proponents of further liberalisation argue that international trade is a reliable means to provide food security for the populations of these countries through im...Voir le contenu complet de ce document
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