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Policy space to pursue food security in the WTO Agreement on Agriculture

The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets 2015–16

Year of publication 2015

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 7p.

Author Matthews, A.

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) This note examines the policy space available to developing countries under the AoA to pursue their food security objectives and the use they have made of that policy space. It does not discuss whether developing countries would be likely to improve their food security by making greater use of their existing or additional policy space. Instead, the purpose is to describe the policy space available to developing countries under AoA rules, including by reference to the policy space available to de veloped countries, taking into account the special and differential treatment principle that developing countries and least developed countries (LDCs) should have less onerous obligations, and thus greater policy space, than developed countries. Issues raised in the Doha Round negotiations are also examined. Policy space is examined under the headings of import protection, domestic support and the ability to respond to volatile world market prices.

Language English

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