Trading Food

The report analyzes how developing regions responded to the 200608 food crisis, noting a prevalence of short-term, often protectionist measures such as export bans and consumer subsidies. It argues that these immediate responses frequently conflicted with long-term goals of increasing agricultural production and that regional cooperation mechanisms were largely ineffective during the crisis. The author advocates for a 'new agricultural deal' at the global level and the institutional strengthening of regional agreements to provide credible collective economic security.

• Many countries responded to the 200608 food crisis with short-term policies aimed at lowering food prices, which often increased trade barriers and negatively impacted intraregional trade.
• Short-term interventions to mitigate price increases can discourage long-term agricultural production by reducing the potential income of food sellers and triggering protectionist reactions from other nations.
• In Latin America, policy responses were primarily national, with regional and subregional agreements playing almost no role in managing the food crisis.
• Southeast Asian countries exhibited diverse responses based on their trade status: net exporters often used export restrictions and stockpiling, while net importers reduced import duties and promoted self-sufficiency.
• The ASEAN Emergency Rice Reserve (AERR), established in 1979, proved inadequate during the 200608 crisis, holding only 87,000 tons of rice, which was sufficient to feed the region's population for less than half a day.
• Southern Africa experiences a state of chronic food insecurity where cereal production has stagnated since 1990 despite population growth.
• In Southern Africa, the use of strategic grain reserves to stabilize prices has sometimes undermined private market incentives and led to poor management, such as in Malawi where a 2001 rescue of the National Food Reserve Agency cost the treasury 1.5 percent of GDP.
• Climate change is expected to most negatively affect tropical regions, with rising sea levels threatening coastal food production areas like the greater Mekong Delta, where half of Vietnam's rice is produced.
• The report suggests that a 'new agricultural deal' is needed globally to promote fair trade rules, reduce price volatility, and facilitate agricultural investment.
• There is a conceptual distinction between 'food self-sufficiency', which emphasizes domestic production, and 'food self-reliance', which focuses on the overall availability of food regardless of source and views international trade as an essential strategy.

APA

Veiga, P. D. M. (2010). Trading Food. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/trading_food.pdf

Chicago

Veiga, Pedro da Motta. Trading Food. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2010. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/trading_food.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Veiga |first1=Pedro da Motta |title=Trading Food |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=August 2010 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/trading_food.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{veiga2010trading, author = {Veiga, Pedro da Motta}, title = {{Trading Food}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2010}, month = aug, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/trading_food.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }