IATP articles/op-eds

Vilsack could learn from Henry Wallace

Lessons from NAFTA: Food and Agriculture

NAFTA has been the blueprint for U.S. trade policy and regional and global trade pacts. But it has also had a number of negative consequences.

A viable U.S. Response to the Food and Energy Crisis: Finding Sustainable & Balanced Solutions

From the natural gas for manufacturing synthetic fertilizers to the intensive energy for food processing and commodity shipping, rising food prices have recently exposed the unwise dependency of our industrial food system on fossil fuel inputs.

A Viable Response to the Food and Energy Crisis

An analysis of the links between the food and energy crises with a discussion of solutions.

Rejoining the World

In the postwar decades, the United States led the way in creating a multilateral order. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (later to become the World Trade Organization), the U.N. Declaration on Human Rights, and, of course, the United Nations itself.

A Food System We Can Believe In

In 2008, prior to Barack Obama becoming president, we defined our nine policy positions for agriculture that could serve as a blueprint for the incoming administration. These policies directly addressed and corrected the six major areas causing the breakdown of our food and farming system.

Food Aid Emergency

The UN and donor countries can make emergency food assistance more effective. Hunger is not inevitable. In the 21st century, the world grows enough food, knows enough about redistributive economics, has the political tools to ensure inclusive decision-making, and can afford to provide the basic needs that protect every person’s right to an adequate, nutritious diet.

The Food Crisis and Global Institutions

The food crisis should move us toward a new era of global cooperation, one that is democratic and accountable to people and the planet.

The 2008 Farm Bill and the Doha Agenda

The U.S. Congress voted a new Farm Bill into law on May 22, 2008. The legislation was greeted with a resounding thumbs down in Geneva, where the WTO has its headquarters. The negotiators reaction echoed that of President Bush, who promptly vetoed the legislation, saying the Farm Bill would impede a conclusion to negotiations on the Doha Agenda at the WTO.