III/05 Trade in Agriculture: Challenges Old and New

Lectures and studies on the WTO Agreement on Agriculture and its application and implementation since. The nature of agricultural policies in major countries and their impact on agricultural trade. Political economy aspects and the reasons for the difficulties to negotiate them in the WTO. An overview of the trade and income implications of liberalising agricultural trade in order to understand who might gain and who might lose from more open agricultural markets. A look at recent trends on global markets for agricultural products, including the 2008 'food crisis', as a factual background and to put the ongoing DDA negotiations on agriculture in perspective. The importance of agriculture to different developing countries and their attempts to achieve greater liberalisation in this sector. So-called ‘non-trade concerns’ as a case for protection. Other issues also affecting international agriculture policies such as sanitary and technical regulations and private standards, climate change, biofuels, water shortage, demography and the WTO impact on food security. Is agriculture really special?

We welcome interested individuals as weekly students in this course. As a weekly student you do not need any knowledge of the field to participate. The price of signing up to this course as a weekly student is CHF 1'750.

In order to participate in this course, join our MILE Programme or sign up as a weekly student. Contact us if you require more information and we will gladly be of assistance.