Saturday, April 20, 2024
In this article for IPS, Mittal writes that the 1996 Agreement on Agriculture (AOA), made under the WTO's predecessor, has become the first step in making food production into a business monopolized by a few. The AOA both proved a threat to the stability of Third World farmers lacking competitive advantages and engendered a US domestic agricultural policy that favors agribusiness over family farmers.
The model that causes overproduction in the United States and drives U.S. farmers off the land is the same model that drives peasants off the land in the Third World. For a fraction of the amount U.S. taxpayers currently pay, it should be possible to design a system that preserves family farming and builds a healthy rural United States without damaging the ability of farmers in other countries to make a living.
Editors interested in acquiring the complete article, please contact: romacol@ips.org
ATTENTION: NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN CANADA, IRELAND, THE UNITED STATES OR THE UNITED KINGDOM