Fact Sheets

Sailing Close to the Wind: Navigating the Hong Kong WTO Ministerial

When the World Trade Organization meets next month in Hong Kong, agriculture negotiations will take center stage. Negotiators are far apart with only a few weeks to find common ground. A new briefing report by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) outlines the key agriculture issues facing WTO negotiators.

10 Lessons for Agriculture after Hurricane Katrina

From higher energy costs to a dearth of transport and storage for fertilizer and grain, Katrina reminds us of the fragility of our commodity networks.

Finding NAMA: How to Navigate the Market Access Negotiations

Excerpted from Sailing Close to the Wind: Navigating the Hong Kong WTO Ministerial. Non-agricultural market access (NAMA) negotiations are important because they go to the heart of development and the extent to which countries can govern their own development path.

Glossary for the WTO Agreement on Agriculture

Excerpted from Sailing Close to the Wind: Navigating the Hong Kong WTO Ministerial. Baffled by the boxes? Terrified by tariffication? Stymied by the special safeguard? Here is all you need to know to become an instant Agreement on Agriculture expert or at least to sound like one.

Ten Ways to Fix Agricultural Trade

Excerpted from Sailing Close to the Wind: Navigating the Hong Kong WTO Ministerial. The WTO Agreement on Agriculture has failed rural communities around the world. Its successor, now under negotiation, is set to perpetuate the failure. The following proposals are a basis for a new agricultural trade system.

EU offer in Doha World Trade Talks, October 2005

New EU offer in WTO Doha Round negotiations. The offer comes in response to several proposals from the U.S, G20, G33, G10 and Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group on WTO agriculture negotiations. The proposal makes any agriculture concessions strictly conditional on concessions from WTO members in industrial products, services, geographical indicators and rules.

Cultivating Minnesota's New Rural Economy

Minnesota companies have been on the cutting edge of developing these new biobased processes that may spur tremendous new opportunities for agricultural production.

Letter from Commissioner Mandelson to WTO Director General, Pascal Lamy, October 2005

Letter from Commissioner Mandelson to WTO Director General, Pascal Lamy expressing concerns about the lack of progress in the services and industrial product negotiating areas of the negotiations. This is in response to pressure from WTO members on the EC to give concessions in agriculture.

Smart Plastics Guide: Healthier Food Uses of Plastics

Plastics are widely used to store and package foods and beverages. However, there are both environmental and health risks from the widespread use of plastics.

Statement of EU conditional negotiating proposals

Statement by the E.C. at the Zurich mini-Ministerial meeting, 10 October 2005. The statement sets out the EUs proposals for the Doha Round.