Negotiations on food security at the WTO: a never-ending story?

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose is to chart the negotiations on the issue of food security which was identified as a non-trade concern by the Agreement on Agriculture (AOA) and how developing Members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) suggested that that concern should be addressed.Design/methodology/approachThe history of negotiations at the WTO is examined through the lens of official documents submitted during various phases of negotiations since 1996 beginning with the Analysis and Information Exchange process to the Doha Round up to the latest Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi in February 2024.FindingsThe negotiations have yet to complete despite beginning over 20 years ago. The focus moved since 2008 to look at specific issues which were addressed at a number of Ministerial Conferences but the latest of these indicate that an answer can only be found in the re-negotiation of the AOA as a whole.Research limitations/implicationsBy focusing on official documents, the rich literature on food security has not been addressed.Practical implicationsThe piece concludes by looking at issues which need to be resolved ahead of agreement on overall reform and suggests solutions for example in the area of safeguards and public stockholding for food security purposes.Originality/valueThe focus almost exclusively on official (and public) documents during the discussion is noteworthy. It also confirms that the WTO is not really that different from its predecessor - the GATT - which took nearly 50 years to reach AOA.