Agroecology and the Struggle for Food Sovereignty ... - Yale University

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110 agroecology and the struggle for food sovereignty The original 1947 GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade), precursor to the WTO, allowed countries to place restrictions on the import of dumped goods, and the WTO restricted dumping cases until December 2003. Several participants raised the issue that the quantity and effects of dumping are difficult to calculate accurately and to control. Dawkins agreed that more work should be done to develop an accurate formula for calculating the impacts of dumping. However, she argued that a complete ban on agricultural dumping would reduce the impact of overproduction on international markets and would force countries to handle surpluses within their own borders. Jean Marc von der Weid then spoke about his experience with trade in Brazil from a local perspective. The region where he works is not an exporting area, but it is impacted by imports. Von der Weid went on to describe the pressures that both national and international markets put on farmers who are developing a cash crop. In the case of black beans, he noted, most stores only buy two varieties of beans, although over 105 varieties have traditionally been grown in Bahia, where he works. There is a “conflict with the laws of markets to have such variety ...because supermarkets want uniformity, which is a contradiction to the diversity goal,” he said. He has been working to develop a market for these other varieties of beans, which requires that he convince retail outlets to accept and sell different varieties, reintroduce these varieties to the consumers, and at the same time encourage farmers to grow such diversity. Another participant noted that mass producers have driven the loss of variety, and now consumers must be retrained to appreciate diversity on a local level. Bernadette Orr, from Oxfam America, brought the conversation back to the macro scale, commenting that there are signs of hope at a local level, but that these efforts are marginal in the context of the entire food system. She mentioned the reintroduction of heirloom tomato varieties by Mexican bishops as an example of good local efforts but asked, “How do you make the jump from the projects of small organizations and relatively marginal programs to the creation of macro-level policies that will allow these examples to flourish?” In response, Kristin Dawkins noted that the WTO could still serve as a place to “make rules, not to eliminate rules.” She suggested that “rules should be limited to that which is traded, but should not obligate trade in products [whose importation is] keeping countries from being self-sufficient.” One participant wondered how corporate power could be reduced to allow such changes in the WTO to happen. Another responded that organizing and education would be key to any change in the international trade regime. Participants felt that civil society, particularly farmers and consumers, do have leverage points within the international trade regime, but that these sectors need to be further educated if they are to have macro-level impacts. One participant noted that farmers around the world are gaining an understanding of their role within the international market, but that this process is not universal. All felt there was hope that the currently prevailing rationale of ‘trade for trade’s sake’ could be overcome, but recognized that this would involve overcoming barriers within the current trading regime and would require education, time, and commitment. yale school of forestry & environmental studies
elationships between export markets and local self-reliance 111 Relationships Between Export Markets and Local Self-Reliance Report by Jonathan Cook This session addressed some of the relationships between agricultural production for export and subsistence purposes, for local and foreign markets. Discussions of smallholder agriculture in Latin America have tended to construct these categories dualistically. Emphasis is either placed on the need for farmers to find new export opportunities, or to produce more for local and regional consumption. An important consensus emerging from this session was that this description does not adequately represent the complex mix of livelihood strategies that farmers pursue. Participants pointed to specific examples of farmers blending subsistence and export production, seeking to generate additional cash income while feeding their families and communities. They described promising schemes for export certification, like fair trade, while also urging greater attention to smaller-scale production and nationallevel markets. Jessica Steele from Clark University raised a crucial question regarding exportoriented agriculture: “How do commodity producers survive when prices collapse?” Another participant from Clark discussed the example of Ethiopia, which receives 70 percent of its foreign earnings from coffee. But the terms of trade are poor; according to the NGO Oxfam, coffee farmers in nearby Uganda get $0.14 a pound for coffee that sells for more than $1 a pound at the docks in London, and sells for much more to consumers. The problem stems from the collapse of the price floor set before 1989 by the International Coffee Organization (ICO). Supply now greatly exceeds demand, so prices of coffee have crashed. Sarah Vogel from Columbia University argued that without a quota system, there is no incentive for farmers to diversify away from coffee. Jean Marc von der Weid, from AS-PTA in Brazil, commented that “The logic of a farmer is not so different from that of a country.” Though diversified production systems are inherently more stable, commodities like coffee are a considerable investment and make it harder to diversify. Alberto Gómez Flores, from UNORCA in Mexico, said that governments should create stabilization funds for coffee (Mexico has one, but it is flawed). The idea is that when coffee prices are low, the government gives some financial aid to farmers – but when prices are good, farmers pay into the account for programs to diversify agricultural opportunities and provide technical assistance. yale school of forestry & environmental studies
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Report Number 4 Agroecology and the
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Agroecology and the Struggle for Fo
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eakout session reports Food Soverei
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2 agroecology and the struggle for
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mcafee 9 Sustainability and Social
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mcafee 11 organizations or depicted
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mcafee 13 industrial agriculture, n
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mcafee 15 Producing Food or Produci
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mcafee 17 ● Major international d
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mcafee 19 Agroecology is not a mono
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mcafee 21 ● Land reform of a kind
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zimmerer 31 An Expanding Interface
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zimmerer 33 The Mesoamerican Biolog
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zimmerer 35 constellation of areas
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levins 37 A Whole-System View of Ag
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levins 39 Equity Versus Sustainabil
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levins 41 ● Small-scale to large-
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levins 43 commodities. The more fav
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levins 45 study is bigger than we i
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levins 47 rather, they would like t
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levins 49 lic office is auctioned o
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Page 66 and 67: 60 agroecology and the struggle for
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iographies of editors 161 Biographi
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participants 163 Workshop Participa
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participants 165 Jean Marc von der
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esources 167 Resources Farmer-to-Fa
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esources 169 ATTRA - www.attra.org
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esources 171 Just Food - www.justfo
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esources 173 International Institut
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cover photo captions 175 Cover Phot
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This report originated in an intern
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Agroecology and the Struggle for Food Sovereignty ... - Yale University

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