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Lost in translation: the fractured conversation about trade and food security

The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets 2015-16 Background Paper

Year of publication 2015

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 50 p.

Author Diaz-Bonilla, E.

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Book (stand-alone)

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) There is heated debate among policy-makers and civil society about the impact of trade and trade policies on food security. This paper speculates on the reasons for such fractured and antagonistic discussion in the hope that a better understanding of these reasons may lead to more convergent views as to which policies and approaches are appropriate. The paper argues that part of the disagreement emerges from: (i) the different meanings attached to trade (Section 2); (ii) the multidimensional nat ure of food and nutrition security, and the large numbers of potential indicators for both concepts (Section 3); and (iii) the variety of channels that may link food and nutrition security to trade issues (Section 4). All three aspects complicate empirical assessment of the interactions between trade and food and nutrition security (Section 5).

Language English

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