Reports
A Risky Proposition: Crop Insurance in the Face of Climate Change
Published March 28, 2012
In the last year, the U.S. has experienced some of the most severe floods and droughts in recent history. According to climate scientists, the future holds more droughts, more floods and more heat waves. Perhaps it’s not surprising, then, that in the run-up to the 2012 Farm Bill most farm lobby groups have made...
What's at Stake in the 2012 Farm Bill?
Published March 28, 2012
The 2012 Farm Bill comes amid an increasingly fierce public debate over food and farming. The industrial model of agriculture and food production is continuing a decades-long drive toward fewer farmers, more factory-style meat production and more processed food—largely to benefit a handful of powerful...
The "De-coupled" Approach to Agriculture
Published March 21, 2012
BACKGROUND. Although the concept of 'de-coupling'' was widely debated as far back as the 1940's, it disappeared from most domestic and internaUonal farm policy discussions during 1910's and early 1980's. It has recently been revived, spearheaded by Senator Rudy Boschwitz (R-MN) on the domestic front and U.S. GATI...
Impact of GATT on World Hunger
Published March 19, 2012
IMPACT OF PAST GATT RULES ON FOOD SELF-RELIANCE GATT, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, was the first attempt by nation states to establish a ''code of conduct'' for regulating the activities of multinational trading enterprises. Its purpose was to establish specific rules for the companies engaged in...
Farm to School in Minnesota
Published March 16, 2012
About this survey Aimed at educating children about where and how their food is grown, strengthening local economies and supporting healthy eating habits, the Farm to School (F2S) movement is rapidly growing. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) has supported Farm to School efforts locally and...
Grower Perspectives on Farm to School
Published March 16, 2012
About this survey As part of our work on Farm to School, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) conducted our second annual survey of growers interested in Farm to School in Spring 2012. This survey was designed to assess growers’ perceptions of Farm to School, challenges, aspirations and...
Resolving the Food Crisis: Assessing Global Policy Reforms Since 2007
Published January 18, 2012
Executive summary The recent spikes in global food-prices in 2007-08 served as a wake-up call to the global community on the inadequacies of our global food system. Commodity prices doubled, the estimated number of hungry people topped one billion and food riots spread through the developing world. A...
A Risky Proposition
Published November 15, 2011
In the last year, the U.S. has experienced some of the most severe floods and droughts in recent history. According to climate scientists, more droughts, more floods and more heat waves are what the future holds. 1 Perhaps it’s not surprising, then, that in the run-up to the 2012 Farm Bill, most farm lobby...
Agroecology and Advocacy: Innovations in Asia
Published October 14, 2011
Executive Summary Rising food prices, increasing climate instability and food riots have sparked profound political changes around the world and put agriculture high on the international agenda. What kind of agriculture is best suited to respond to those challenges, however, is the subject of profound disagreement....
Racing Ahead: U.S. Agri-Nanotechnology in the Absence of Regulation
Published June 29, 2011
Executive summary On June 9, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) separately released ground-breaking, albeit voluntary, draft guidance to industry, the first, long-overdue step toward regulating products that incorporate nanomaterials. The White House issued an...
