Challenging globalization of agriculture

Protesting globalisation of agricultural production

Context

The strong pressures for the globalization of agriculture are eliminating much of the genetic diversity of many crop plants and domesticated animals under market and commercial pressures to maximize productivity and profit. Many varieties and breeds, often evolved over centuries of local selection, have desirable features that adapt them to particular local environments, resist specific diseases or environmental extremes, or give them unique features, but that do not lend themselves to mass marketing. Today, strong pressures for the globalization of agriculture are eliminating much of this traditional diversity. Excessive globalization today could destroy much of the potential for better agriculture tomorrow.

Claim

The Agreement on Agriculture of the World Trade Organisation is one of the main reasons for the misery of small farmers in all the continents; the elimination of food security policies; the increasing concentration of productive resources in the hands of agribusiness and the introduction of genetic engineering in fields and kitchens all over the world.

Within the context of the globalisation of agriculture, the challenge is to maintain the "regional model of agriculture," combining food production, protection of the environment and social objectives.

WTO negotiations cannot just centre around an automatic dismantling of customs duties and trade barriers. The European model of agriculture based on multifunctional farming addresses new issues, such as environmental and health standards, cultural diversity and quality of life, and thus offers a more future-oriented perspective than mechanical calls for a total liberalisation of farm trade.

Any attempt to find an agreement which ultimately implies a global harmonisation of agricultural policy is doomed to failure.

Agricultural trade involves not only economic aspects but also environmental and social issues.

The European model of agriculture based on multifunctional farming specifically offers a more future-oriented perspective than mechanical calls for a total liberalisation of farm trade.