Global Food Insecurity and the Unequal Playing Field in World Agriculture

Global food insecurity is a challenge of grave importance that our humanity confronts still in the era of globalization in the 21st century. The article critically assesses the role of agricultural trade in coping with the challenge. In particular, it highlights how the lack of a level playing field in agricultural trade poses an obstacle in promoting global food security. Referring to institutions and rules governing international trade, the playing field in agricultural trade has grown unequal and biased against the agriculture of developing countries during the postwar period due to agricultural protection (tax) in developed (developing) countries and the current WTO trade rules. Full liberalization of agricultural trade may or may not repair the uneven playing field, hence it is not certain whether it would be effective in ameliorating the global food insecurity problem and in boosting agricultural growth in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, which represent the two regions most vulnerable to food insecurity. However, agricultural trade liberalization is not expected in the future for political and other reasons. The article contends then that the next best strategy is to mend the uneven playing field by instituting a mechanism like the Development/Food Security Box which is comparable to the Green Box for the agriculture of developed countries.