GFT - Food fight: What the debate about food security means at the WTO

Abstract

Although still experiencing significant levels of hunger and malnutrition, India has recently taken historic measures to improve food security, namely through the expansion of domestic food assistance programs. Under the Obama Administration, the U.S. has prioritized improving global food security and promoting agriculture development within the foreign policy agenda. President Obama has helped to lead the international community in reviving funding and attention to these issues. Yet, the U.S. has opposed the Indian food security program in negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) by rejecting India’s proposals to shield the program from possible WTO enforcement. The disagreement came to a head in the WTO Ministerial Conference in Bali, Indonesia in December 2013 and more recently at a senior-level WTO meeting in July 2014 where negotiations collapsed. The conflict is emblematic of disjointed policy debates and development theories around food security, agriculture, and trade.