Reports
Grain Reserves: A Smart Climate Adaptation Policy
Published December 1, 2010
Consider these four developments: 1.) Climate change is having a profound effect on current and anticipated food production; 2.) Those effects are expected to be greatest in some of the world’s most impoverished regions, particularly in the countries that sit around the equator; 3.) The anticipated effects of...
Financing Agriculture Adaptation to Climate Change: A Modest Beginning
Published December 1, 2010
President Obama’s climate-related diplomatic capacity in Cancún will be severely limited by incoming and current members of the U.S. Congress who consider climate change science too uncertain to serve as a basis for economic policy change or simply a fraudulent conspiracy to undermine the U.S. economy. However, we...
A Farm Bill for a Cooler Planet
Published December 1, 2010
As a society, we face few issues as complicated and contentious as climate change. We are already feeling the effects of a warming planet, suffering through an increase in the frequency and intensity of floods, heat waves, droughts and other weather extremes. But despite calls from scientists, activists and citizens...
Agriculture in the Climate Talks: Looking Beyond Cancun
Published December 1, 2010
The context Food production—hence, agriculture—has been a stated concern of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from the outset. In 1992, parties committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at levels that would no longer threaten the planet; and to achieve this outcome “within a time...
Trade and Food Reserves: What role does the WTO play?
Published September 20, 2010
I. Introduction Grain reserves are an important part of a food security strategy. Reserves are an obvious and practical tool that has been in use for thousands of years. They are proven to be effective. They are not on their own sufficient to ensure food security, and, like any tool, they can be counter-productive if...
EBT at Farmers Markets: Initial Insights from National Research and Local Dialogue
Published August 8, 2010
I. Introduction In 2009, the City of Minneapolis embarked on the Homegrown Minneapolis initiative, a collaboration between city government and the community aimed at expanding the production, distribution and consumption of locally grown foods. Among the recommendations made through the Homegrown process is to expand...
Tips for good handling practices of fresh produce in your store
Published June 1, 2010
Corner Store Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Survey
Published April 7, 2010
Farm to School in Minnesota: A Survey of School Food Service Leaders
Published March 10, 2010
About this survey The Minnesota School Nutrition Association (MSNA) and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) work together to support the adoption and expansion of farm to school initiatives across the state of Minnesota through staff training, technical assistance, networking, student education,...
Climate Inequity
Published March 5, 2010
Introduction Climate change has been put forth largely as a technological problem: it is the coal plants, gas-guzzling vehicles and energy-intensive buildings that are the issue. The solutions being proposed are largely technological as well: carbon capture, resurgence of nuclear plants, clean coal and genetically...
