Comment la politique commerciale pourrait-elle mieux faire face aux chocs du système alimentaire ?

The report analyzes the role of trade policy in managing food system shocks, using the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2015-2016 Southern Africa drought, and the US-China trade war as case studies. It argues that current WTO rules have gaps regarding export restrictions, high tariffs, and harmful agricultural subsidies. To enhance resilience, the authors propose four policy goals: ensuring food access for the poor, protecting farmer livelihoods, improving market functioning through equitable resource distribution, and restoring trust in multilateral institutions. Key recommendations include exempting humanitarian food purchases from export bans, reducing 'tariff peaks' in major importing countries, and establishing a special safeguard mechanism for low-income producers.

• The COVID-19 pandemic caused both supply and demand shocks and disrupted supply chains, though it did not lead to widespread global food shortages due to abundant harvests and stocks.
• During the COVID-19 crisis, over 20 countries imposed or announced food export restrictions, though fewer than the 33 countries that did so during the 2008 price spikes.
• The 2015-2016 El Niño-induced drought in Southern Africa was the worst in 35 years, reducing regional cereal production by approximately 30% and causing maize prices to rise by up to 177% in Mozambique.
• The US-China trade war primarily created demand shocks, with US agricultural exports to China dropping by an average of 71% in 2018 and 2019 compared to 2016-2017 levels.
• Climate change is expected to decrease food supply stability as extreme weather events increase in frequency and intensity, particularly in low-latitude regions.
• The report recommends that WTO members exclude food purchased for non-commercial humanitarian purposes by the World Food Programme from export prohibitions.
• The authors propose establishing a special safeguard mechanism (SSM) to allow low-income countries to impose temporary safeguard duties during sudden price drops.
• The report argues for harmonizing domestic support levels by agreeing on new WTO ceilings and progressive reductions for trade-distorting support.
• To restore trust in multilateralism, the report calls on the US administration to unblock the appointment of Appellate Body members to revitalize the dispute settlement process.

APA

Hepburn, J., Omari-Motsumi, K., Smaller, C., & Zoundi, Z. (2021). Comment la politique commerciale pourrait-elle mieux faire face aux chocs du système alimentaire ? International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-05/trade-policy-address-food-system-shocks-fr.pdf

Chicago

Hepburn, Jonathan, Kulthoum Omari-Motsumi, Carin Smaller, and Zakaria Zoundi. Comment la politique commerciale pourrait-elle mieux faire face aux chocs du système alimentaire ? International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-05/trade-policy-address-food-system-shocks-fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hepburn |first1=Jonathan |last2=Omari-Motsumi |first2=Kulthoum |last3=Smaller |first3=Carin |last4=Zoundi |first4=Zakaria |title=Comment la politique commerciale pourrait-elle mieux faire face aux chocs du système alimentaire ? |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=March 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-05/trade-policy-address-food-system-shocks-fr.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hepburn2021comment, author = {Hepburn, Jonathan and Omari-Motsumi, Kulthoum and Smaller, Carin and Zoundi, Zakaria}, title = {{Comment la politique commerciale pourrait-elle mieux faire face aux chocs du système alimentaire ?}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-05/trade-policy-address-food-system-shocks-fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }