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This book focuses on the policy implications of growing pressures for economic adjustment in the agricultural sectors of developed countries. Selected papers from an international workshop at Imperial College, London in October 2003 and an international symposium in Philadelphia in the spring of 2004, have been extensively revised and edited to form some of the chapters, and several entirely new chapters have been added. Chapters 2 and 3 analyse recent adjustments in the agricultural sectors of the EU and the USA. Chapter 4 assesses the forces that are likely to generate pressures for change. Policy reform is one such driver; chapters 5 and 6 focus on the extent to which recent and prospective reforms may be expected to require further adjustment in the EU and the USA. Chapters 7-12 form a series of six case studies of policy reform and agricultural adjustment (covering Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Korea, Japan, the transition countries of Central Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Canada, and the USA). The ability of farmers and farm households to adjust to policy reform is a key concern. Chapters 13 and 14 examine evidence on the ability of farmers to adapt to changes in economic conditions, drawing on experience in the Netherlands and the USA. Chapters 15 and 16 provide perspectives on the potential use of specific measures to promote adjustment in agriculture in EU and the USA. Chapter 17 brings together the lessons learned to identify future options for agricultural adjustment policy in developed countries. The book has a subject index.

This paper explores the relationship between intra-industry investment (III)
and intra-industry trade (IIT) using cointegration and the Granger causality
test. The empirical results indicate that there is a long-run equilibrium
cointegration relationship between III and IIT in Chinese agriculture,
manufacturing, the service sector and industry as a whole, and that this
relationship is negative. Unidirectional Granger causality runs from III to
IIT in manufacturing, the service sector and industry as a whole, but there
is no strong evidence of causality running from IIT to III in any industry in
China.

Optimal control theory is used to analyze the implications of the adoption of price & less-developed country (LDC) export revenue stabilization objectives by an international buffer stock for cocoa. The results obtained for the period 1956-1976 suggest that the stabilization of either price or revenue at systematic trend would reduce the instability of both variables from that during the sample period. Although the stabilization of revenues at systematic trend decreases their average level, the stabilization of price has the opposite effect. Because of this, it may be financially feasible for the LDCs to provide the necessary resources for a price-stabilizing buffer stock. 3 Tables, 1 Reference. HA.

"This book examines the current and future challenges facing the food and agricultural system and their implications for policymaking at the national and international level. The growth in global population and income is expected to result in increasing demand for food and agricultural raw materials, intensifying concerns over food security and increasing pressure on the planet's natural resources. Moreover, climate change — a challenge on its own — is likely to increase the urgency for reforms in the food and agricultural sector. As a substantial contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, the sector will need to participate in efforts to slow global warming and to adjust to the effects of climate change, while ensuring global food security and resource sustainability. These pressures define a new set of priorities for policymaking at the national and international level. They also necessitate changes in the framework of global institutions for effective governance of the food system. Global Challenges for Future Food and Agricultural Policies presents a comprehensive analysis of the inter-related policy challenges of food security, management of natural resources, climate change, and international governance. The book also offers valuable insights into options for effective policymaking with the goal of inducing positive policy changes to the food and agricultural sector."--

AbstractWe study the potential for reducing agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions without sacrificing food security in Norway. We show that it is possible to achieve a 40% reduction in direct agricultural emissions without compromising domestic food supply in terms of calories and protein. Combined GHG and food supply targets can be met using substantially less land and agricultural support. Dietary changes involve a 30% reduction in meat consumption and a 10% to 20% reduction in the consumption of dairy products, counterbalanced by increased consumption of vegetable products. Although the numerical results are specific to Norway, they are relevant for other rich countries. A consistent pattern in these countries is that ruminant animals impose a heavy toll in terms of both GHG emissions and land use relative to their contribution to food energy production.

AbstractUsing a mathematical programming model of Norwegian agriculture, we explore interconnections between trade liberalization and reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We show that the Doha Round proposals for a new agreement on agriculture through the World Trade Organization would not generate significant reductions in emissions. Further trade liberalization would reduce emissions by cutting agricultural production but would not change production methods. Imposing a carbon tax would lead both to a reduction in output and the extensification of production. In contrast, if farmers are allowed to claim a credit for carbon sequestration the effect is to intensify agricultural production.

This paper focuses on the political economy of United States (U.S.) farm policy since the Uruguay round trade negotiations concluded in 1994 and established the World Trade Organization (WTO). The continued ability of the powerful farm lobby in the U.S. to elicit support in the political arena is evident from this analysis. Yet there have been some substantial changes in policy that have reduced their distortionary effects, as well as some setbacks to liberalizing reform. New Doha round commitments could put further constraints on subsidies provided by some U.S. policy instruments. And despite the ability of the farm lobby to retain its support programs through 2012, there are several political uncertainties about the alignments that have allowed U.S. farm support to endure.

"Current Issues in Global Agricultural and Trade Policy presents an authoritative perspective on matters that will contribute to the future shape of global markets for agricultural products. Written by a rare grouping of eminent and globally leading agricultural economists from a wide variety of backgrounds, the book provides an analytical overview of the academic and professional work of the late Timothy E Josling, an outstanding intellectual innovator. Areas covered in the book include farm policies of the EU and the USA, analysis of farm support and its effects, US trade policy for agricultural products, analysis of food security, implications of sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and relevance of geographical indications in international trade. The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for agricultural trade policy are discussed in an endnote. This book throws light on some of the most impressive achievements of the agricultural economics profession."

"The May 2008 draft agricultural modalities (WTO 2008) are the result of seven years of hard negotiations. Their structure, if not every detail, seems likely to be the basis for final proposals that must either be ratified or rejected by governments. The modalities cover the three pillars of domestic support, market access, and export competition. In this paper we examine their implications for the United States. The imposition of additional WTO disciplines on domestic support is a major issue for the United States. Higher world prices for major export commodities have reduced the amount of support provided to U.S. farmers in recent years but the long drawn-out process of concluding a new Farm Bill reflects the continued political importance of farm programs. Analysis of the most ambitious provisions of the draft modalities suggests that if a relatively high price environment continues the United States will be able to adapt to the new WTO domestic support commitments by making modest adjustments in its domestic policies. There are issues with a limited number of commodities. Cotton poses problems for meeting product specific bindings on AMS and blue box support and sugar pose problems for meeting product specific AMS commitments. These could be addressed by changing support programs in order to reduce notified support. Changes in the definition of the dairy support program in the 2008 Farm Act, which do not imply any fundamental change in the way the program actually operates, will reduce notified support for dairy. It is possible that other procedural changes could be made to reduce notified support for other commodities, for example, sugar. The strengthened disciplines on domestic support would have the effect of squeezing out a lot of the "water" in the amount of support that the United States can provide to U.S. farmers and stay within its WTO commitments. The United States would still have the option of changing the composition of support – expanding the use of the green box and making use of non product-specific support up to the limit imposed by de minimis and the overall OTDS binding. Nevertheless, significant reductions in the OTDS and the total AMS severely constrain the room for manoeuvre for support that is most closely linked to prices. However, if the optimistic price environment assumed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture does not materialize, limits on the total AMS and some product-specific AMS limits could well be exceeded unless alternatives to current support policies were found With respect to market access, while U.S. agricultural tariffs are relatively low on average there are some high tariffs on products such as sugar, meats, dairy products and beverages and tobacco. The relatively low tariff average means that around 90 percent of the tariff lines fall in the first band of the proposed tariff-cutting formula in the draft modalities, and hence are subject to the lowest proposed reductions. Despite this, the cuts in agricultural tariffs resulting from application of the formula are relatively substantial, with the trade weighted average MFN applied rate falling from 8 percent to 3.5 percent. Application of the proposed tariff escalation formula has virtually no impact on the average tariff, while application of the tropical products formula would reduce the post-round tariff from 3.5 percent to 3.2 percent with the largest impact on sugar, dairy products and tobacco. The sensitive product option is likely to have a relatively small impact on U.S. tariffs. With respect to market access for the United States, we find that the proposed tariff formulas in the modalities would sharply reduce average tariffs facing U.S. exports – from 14 percent to 8.7 percent. Most of this reduction comes from a sharp fall in the tariffs applied by other industrial countries. The provisions of the tariff formula for developing countries; the higher binding overhang; and lower initial rates of applied protection imply a much smaller reduction in the tariffs facing U.S. exports in developing countries. The sensitive product provisions reduce by half the reduction in the average tariff facing US exporters in other developed markets and, combined with special products, mean that applied tariffs faced by US exporters in developing countries decline very little. The elimination of export subsidies used by other countries (particularly, the European Union) has been a major U.S. objective in the current round of WTO negotiations. This would require the elimination of the one remaining export subsidy program for dairy products (DEIP) that has not been active in recent years. The draft modalities would also require changes in U.S. export credit programs, but these have already been modified to bring interest rates in line with those charged by commercial lenders. In addition, the intermediate export credit program (GSM 103) was eliminated in the 2008 Farm Act. Some additional modifications in financing terms for the remaining program (GSM 102) would probably be required to ensure full cost recovery Activity under U.S. food aid programs has been declining in recent years. The draft modalities foresee reduced emphasis on the provision of in-kind aid. The 2008 Farm Act contains some limited provisions for sourcing aid through local purchases of food in developing countries. However, a more general move in that direction can be expected to result in less support for food aid programs among farm groups and increasing difficulties in obtaining Congressional appropriations for food aid programs." -- from authors' abstract ; Non-PR ; IFPRI2; GRP2; Globalization, retail food industries, and trade; Markets and Trade ; MTID