Agriculture

IATP has been advocating for fair and sustainable agriculture and food systems for more than 35 years. Learn more about our agriculture work on our Agriculture & Food Systems page.

Farmer bailout package is a quick fix that fails to address systemic issues

MINNEAPOLIS — The Trump administration announced a $12 billion farmer bailout package today, created to soften the blow of diminished export markets due to the administration’s own chaotic trade policies.

Global action on cutting methane pollution is falling short: Why this matters for agriculture

Is the deal with China an agreement or a handshake?

Earlier this month, the Trump administration announced a deal with China that would open up trade on precious minerals, lower tariffs, and increase agricultural purchases.

IATP Travel Log: Harvesting hope and community from Minneapolis to Malmö

This year’s harvest time brought me to three different places — from Minneapolis over to Copenhagen, Denmark then to Malmö, Sweden — to learn and discuss what we can do to make our food systems work for the people.

IATP Europe comments on the National Plans element of the EU’s next long-term budget

IATP Europe submitted the following comments on November 3, 2025 to the European Commission regarding the National and Regional Partnership Plans element of the EU’s next long-term budget. 

Beyond soybeans and China, the U.S. farm economy is broken

The plight of U.S. soybean farmers and lost exports to China has splashed across headlines this fall. Trump administration trade chaos has exposed deeper problems with an export-focused agriculture economy.

Q&A: What's next for the Farm Bill?

On top of trade turmoil and a U.S. government shutdown, Congress has still not passed a new Farm Bill, the primary legislation that sets a majority of U.S. food and farm policy and funding. The future of the Farm Bill is still unclear.

Hedging your bets: Congress threatens to take away key farmer program for economic and conservation resilience

CRP provides farmers with some certainty in the face of uncertain markets 

As Congress fails to pass a new Farm Bill, its expiration leaves farmers and rural communities in the dark

MINNEAPOLIS—In response to the expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill on September 30 — and no new Farm Bill to take its place — the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) has issued the following statement from Michael Happ, IATP’s Program Associate for Climate and Rural Communities:

So you want to be a farmer? Our current system poses many obstacles

As part of our exhibition at Farm Aid 40, we have created an interactive game that highlights some of the unpredictable challenges facing small farmers, and how better agriculture policy can help build a fairer and more sustainable food and farm system for all. This article is a companion piece to that game and an introduction to some of the issues we focus on.

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