WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/AG/NG/W/36
22 September 2000
(00-3852)
Committee on Agriculture
Special SessionOriginal:  English/
                 French
NOTE ON NON-TRADE CONCERNS
Submission to the third Special Session of the WTO Committee on Agriculture by Barbados,
Burundi, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, the European Communities, Fiji, Iceland, Israel, Japan,
Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Malta, Mauritius, Mongolia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Saint Lucia,
Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Switzerland, and Trinidad and Tobago.
_______________
1. Article 20 of the Agreement on Agriculture provides that the continuation of the reform
process should take into account non-trade concerns, special and differential treatment to developingcountries and the possible negative effects of the implementation of the reform programme on least-
developed and net-food importing developing countri es. In this context, a Conference on Non-Trade
Concerns in Agriculture attended by 40 countries and economies was held in Ullensvang, Norway, on
1-4 July 2000.  The European Commission and the governments of Japan, Mauritius, Norway, the
Republic of Korea and Switzerland organised the conference, which was attended by developingcountries including least-developed countries and small island developing states, economies in
transition, and developed countries.
2. The broad objective of the conference was to provide a forum for discussion among
developing and developed countries on non-trade c oncerns (NTCs).  Subjects treated covered the
specific and multifunctional characteristics of agriculture, agriculture's contribution to rural
development, food security, environment and cultural  diversity, and the need for flexibility in national
policy design to address non-trade concerns, bo th from developed and developing country
perspectives.  Each of the organisers contributed to the discussion with papers covering a vast array of
issues and concerns common to developing and developed countries alike.  The papers highlighted the
wide diversity and specificity of agricultural systems worldwide.  The six papers are attached.
3. It was recognised that every country has the right, in accordance with mutually agreed rules,
to address non-trade concerns, such as strengthening the socio-economic viability and development ofrural areas, food security and environmental protection,  and promoting the co-existence of various
types of agriculture.  In this context, special and differential treatment to developing and least-
developed countries must also be ensured.  It was also recognised that market forces alone could not
address these non-trade concerns.
4. We believe that this is a useful contribution to the work within the framework of
paragraph (c) of Article 20 by the Special Session of the Committee of Agriculture, and we look
forward to a fruitful discussion in this Committee.G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 2/3
Specific characteristics of agriculture
and the need to treat agriculture
separately within WTO
International Conference on Non-Trade Concerns in Agriculture
Ullensvang, Norway, 2-4 July 2000
Discussion Paper One
Presented by SwitzerlandG/AG/NG/W/36
Page 4
Table of Contents
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 5
1. OVERALL FRAMEWORK – STATE OF THE CURRENT NEGOTIATIONS 5
2. SPECIFIC CHARACTERISTICS OF AGRICULTURE 6
2.1 Land use function 6
2.2 Supply and demand characteristics 6
2.3 Agriculture as a producer of positive externalities and public goods 7
2.4 Food as a most essential good 72.5 Agriculture as a key element for the development of other sectors 8
3. NEED FOR A SPECIFIC TREATMENT OF AGRICULTURE WITHIN WTO 8
3.1 Specific treatment in GATT and URAA 8
3.2 Need for continued specific treatment within WTO 8
ANNEX 10G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 5
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
1. This paper focuses on the specific characteristics of agriculture, first exploring the state of the
current negotiations on agriculture in WTO and the different approaches the main country groups
take. It then continues in summarising the main sp ecific characteristics of agriculture: the land use
function, the supply and demand characteristics, the contribution of the agricultural sector to theprovision of positive externalities and public goods, food as a unique and most essential good and
agriculture as a key element for the development of other sectors, particularly in developing countries.
2. The paper concludes in underlining the need for continued specific treatment of agriculture in
the WTO. This last section looks at the GATT 1994 and the Marrakesh Agreement and states that the
URAA recognises different situations (including the need for S&D), agricultural policies, and the
right of each WTO Member to preserve an agricultural sector. Therefore specific characteristics of
agriculture need continued separate treatment within WTO. The question to be addressed is whetherthe actual provisions under the URAA are sufficient to let agriculture fully play its specific role and to
fulfil the multiple objectives assigned to it by societies.
1. OVERALL FRAMEWORK – STATE OF THE CURRENT NEGOTIATIONS
3. This year Members of WTO have started further negotiations on agriculture aiming at an
additional step towards establishing a fair and market-oriented agricultural trading system. The
preamble and Article 20 of the Uruguay Agreement on Agriculture (URAA) form the basis of these
negotiations. The Agreement establishes the start of such a process in 2000.
4. All WTO Members may participate in these negotiations. Countries in accession have an
important role as observers. Besides the individual countries we may recognise different groups of
countries promoting particular interests. Several countries may belong to more than one of the
following categories: Net food-importing developing countries and developed net food-importers,
developing countries with small (international) trade, least developed countries, small island
economies, countries with an agriculture responding to non-trade concerns (NTC), countries withprimarily export interests etc.
5. The particular interests reflect the wide diversity of general policy goals and agricultural
policies in the world. A world-wide harmonised agri cultural policy does not exist. While progressive
liberalisation brought about success in manufacturing and many services, the trade policy objective is
only one element of many national agricultural policies. The common denominator for the
negotiations on agriculture is therefore rather small. This explains the difficulties to reach a balanced
result in sectoral negotiations on agriculture. The following approaches could be described torepresent the main issues at stake identified in the negotiations.
6. "Market only-Approach": Countries having primarily exporting interests restrict their
approach mainly on trade concerns and argue within the trade policy logics. They strive for an
agricultural trading system governed by the same disciplines as trade in general, with only few, if any,
non-trade concerns taken into account.
7. "Article 20 Approach": For countries with an agriculture responding to non-trade concerns as
"food security and the need to protect the environm ent" (URAA), the market orientation alone will not
be sufficient to respond to multiple societal objectives which need to be met in order to enhance
national and global welfare as well as to the criteria "fair" of the preamble and Article 20 of the
Agreement. A fair agricultural trading system would in their view also comprise the preservation ofG/AG/NG/W/36
Page 6
agriculture's capacity to produce specific outputs – positive externalities1 – beyond the production of
food and fibre.
8. The difficulties of the various groups to understand each other and to reach a mutually
satisfactory result are obvious. The reason for the conflict between the views of the "Market only-
group" and their wish for a "full integration" of agriculture and the views of others promoting an
approach going beyond the mere trade aspect seems to lie in the distinct view on specific
characteristics of agriculture. While the first group argues that agriculture has no specific
characteristics compared to other sectors, the second group attributes specific positive externalities
and public goods to it like the protection of the environment and of finite resources, the contribution
to food security or to socio-economic development of rural areas.
9. In this paper we will address the specific characteristics of agriculture and the need to treat
aspects of agriculture separately within WTO.
2. SPECIFIC CHARACTERISTICS OF AGRICULTURE
2.1 Land use function
10. In many countries agriculture is the biggest land user. Agricultural activities over centuries
have given rise to unique landscapes with a rich variety of semi-natural habitats and species
dependent on the continuation of farming. The high cultural and nature values of the farmed
landscape can be harmed both by the intensification of agriculture and the marginalisation or
abandonment of agricultural land.
2.2 Supply and demand characteristics
11. For most bulk commodities the supply can not respond to raising demand in short time. In
particular many production cycles have a period of one or more years. Short-time in-elasticity of
supply results in high price fluctuations. For longer production cycles conservation of soil-fertility andpartly know-how is important, since fertility can not be achieved in short time. On the other hand
demand is generally inelastic, since food is a basic good.
12. Climatic conditions and soil-quality predestine certain regions for production of certain
agricultural products or give them the possibility to produce most efficiently. Other climatic
conditions and soil-quality are less favourable to production. Overall geophysical potential for
agricultural production in the world is shrinking in terms of soil as the basic factor for production. At
the other hand demand is rising since world population is still very rapidly growing (especially in lowpurchasing power countries and population segments). It is therefore desirable from a world food
perspective to keep the production potential even in areas with non-optimal climatic conditions or
soils. Restart of agricultural production under altered overall conditions may be difficult because of
production time-lag, lack of specific know-how, soil deterioration and destruction (including non-
agricultural uses), irreversibility of know-how lo ss if next generation does not farm and if research
and development is not continued etc.
                                                     
1 Positive externalities represent or contribute to public goods, with a given demand and no or
insufficient economic compensation. Demand for such a public good may result in an explicit policy objective
aiming at satisfying supply. An existing example of such explicit policy objectives is given in the Annex
(Article 104 of the Swiss Federal Constitution).G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 7
2.3 Agriculture as a producer of positive externalities and public goods
13. In many countries we can observe numerous societal demands for non-marketable non-
commodity outputs of agriculture like natural resource protection, rural landscape and recreation
areas. Differences in natural and economic conditions between and within countries, including in thedemand for the non-commodity outputs, strongly suggest that there will be no single solution to
multiple non-trade concerns that is optimal for all countries and areas.
14. Agriculture provides public goods or positive externalities, such as environmental services,
natural resource protection, rural landscape and recreation areas. Agriculture contributes to fulfilling
societal goals like viability of rural areas and their development, decentralised settlement of the
territory, food security, preservation of cultural heritage etc. Agriculture may also have positive spill-
over effects on other economic sectors such as tourism.
15. Awareness exists of the fact that agriculture is able to contribute in a specific way to the
fulfilment of societal goals other than food production, although this awareness is developed in
different intensity. Accordingly many positive externalities produced by agriculture in their quality of
public goods like rural landscapes (recreational values, benefits to tourism) or biodiversity are often
consumed unconsciously. The awareness of the public regarding agriculture as a producer of suchoutputs became more accentuated when the goods became scarce. Reasons for scarcity are manifold,
e.g. an intact environment may be harmed by the intensification of agricultural production due to short
time benefit strategies in rapidly liberalised markets.
2.4 Food as a most essential good16. Food is a most essential good and by this fact every person attributes a high value to it. This
particular characteristic of food, its significance for the nourishment of people makes food production
and thus agriculture an inherent part of each society's culture and policies. Consumers may  also wish
to link food production to cultural and/or ethic concerns including health concerns, food safety and
quality.
17. Experiences with respect to insufficient or abundant availability of food always strongly
influenced governmental policies and corresponding actions all over the world. The experiences may
of course differ from one country to another and so would the respective policy objectives, however,
given the basic need for food both economical and emotional concepts are linked to it.
18. Negative experiences regarding the availability of food led to the formulation of food security
policies which comprises local production, stock-piling, trade and other measures to assure sufficient
food security (cf. Conference paper on food security). Besides the need to satisfy the basic need ofnourishment, high importance is given to aspects of safety and quality of the products. Abundant
illustrations to this fact can easily be enumerated.
19. Negative experiences often combined with scarcity of land resources and input factors,
climatically unfavourable conditions etc. led almost everywhere to a high esteem for agriculture,
which may go far beyond its actual share in a country's domestic economy. It is therefore essential totake into account the background of experiences and culture for a better understanding of the various
agricultural policy objectives of different countries. Thus the mere existence of tariffs to protect local
production can not be squarely attributed to protectionist behaviour in the sense of defending the
special interests of the farmer society.G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 8
2.5 Agriculture as a key element for the development of other sectors
20. In agrarian societies agriculture has always represented the basic economic activity on which
other economic activities were subsequently built (cf. Conference paper on Developing countries and
Non-Trade concerns). To take care of this key element is therefore of highest importance not only forcountries exporting commodities but for all societies with an important agricultural sector in terms of
employment, local production for domestic consumption etc. (cf. Conference paper on rural
development).
3. NEED FOR A SPECIFIC TREATMENT OF AGRICULTURE WITHIN WTO
21. Today the share of agriculture in some industrialised countries is very small, while in others
agriculture remains a major if not the most important economic sector as it is the case for many DC'sand LDC's. But even in countries with a small agricultural sector, agricultural policy has kept high
political importance. The specific characteristics of agriculture have not only to be described
economically but have as well to be seen on the background of historical experiences which have
become part of a society's culture constantly influencing the policy making process.
3.1 Specific treatment in GATT and URAA
22. In GATT 1947 and GATT 1994 we find specific rules for several areas, e.g. public
procurement (art. III), film (art. IV) or transit (art. V). Besides this, general GATT rules were never
applied without exceptions due to the existence of some overriding policy objectives such as national
security and "ordre public" or due to the lack of a stringent dispute settlement. The inappropriatenessof some basic rules to certain areas illustrates the need to treat each case on its own merits, bearing in
mind the overall WTO objective of enhancing global welfare.
23. During the Uruguay Round this fact and the need for exceptions to general rules and
principles was accepted for agriculture as well as in other WTO Agreements, leading finally to a
success: With the Agreement on Agriculture WTO Members have for the first time placed agriculturein a systemic way under the overall structure of WTO rules and disciplines. At the same time, and in
order to preserve the general equilibrium, they recognised, that the progressive liberalisation process
must take into account several other concerns, in particular NTC's or special and differentiated
treatment for developing countries (cf. preamble of the Marrakesh Agreement and preamble and
Article 20 of the URAA). By doing this the URAA recognises different agricultures, agricultural
policies and the right of each WTO member to preserve an agricultural sector.
24. The same motivation to find an equilibrium is recognised in specific and accordant action
relating to special and differentiated treatment for developing countries (S&D) in all areas of the
multilateral trading system.
3.2 Need for continued specific treatment within WTO
25. Specific characteristics of agriculture and policy objectives in relation with NTC's call for
separate treatment of agriculture within WTO. Market failure for public goods may call for
government action to  secure optimal supply. In order to do this governments must be able to
implement targeted, effective, efficient and least trade distorting instruments.
26. The obligation to drastically and quickly increase market access for basic food commodities,
can result in reducing the incentive for local production, especially in countries and regions whereproducers are less competitive due to specific circumstances or in countries and regions with fragile
production structures or low incomes combined with low purchasing power.G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 9
27. Given the need to safeguard a certain level of domestic production for the fulfilment of
societal objectives, local conditions may require specific instruments to allow farmers to continue
production on less favourable areas or under regulations establishing less competitive situations.
Current NTC- and S&D-provisions under the URAA provide for such possibilities to a certain extent.
28. Therefore, due to its specific characteristics, agriculture need continued separate treatment
within WTO (URAA).G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 10
Annex
Swiss Federal Constitution of 18 April 1999
Article 104 – Agriculture
1 The Confederation shall ensure that agriculture shall, through sustainable and market oriented
production, contribute meaningfully to:
a. ensuring the supply of food to the population;
b. the preservation of the natural habitat and the countryside;
c. the decentralised settlement of the territory.
2 In addition to such mutual assistance as can be required from the agricultural sector, and as an
exception to the principles of free market economy where necessary, the Confederation shall support
farm enterprises engaged in working the land.
3 The Confederation shall prepare measures to ensure that agriculture sector accomplishes its
multifunctional tasks. In particular, the Confederation's powers and duties shall include the following:
a. It shall supplement farm incomes with direct payments so as to provide reasonablecompensation for services rendered, provided that said services are duly justified and directed
towards the established ecological requirements;
b. It shall encourage, using economically viable incentives, production methods which are
particularly suited to and respectful of the natural environment and the animal life;
c. It shall issue regulations go verning the labelling and declaration of origin, the qual-ity, the
production and processing methods used in relation to foodstuffs;
d. It shall protect the environment against the damage of excessive use of fertilisers, chemical
products and any other substances;
e. It can encourage agricultural research, extensi on and training and distribute grants to promote
investment;
f. It can issue regulations to consolidate rural land holdings.
4 To these ends, the Confederation shall use funds especially set aside for the agricultural sector as
well as general Confederation funds.G/AG/NG/W/36
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Agriculture's contribution
to rural development
International Conference on Non-Trade Concerns in Agriculture
Ullensvang, Norway, 2-4 July 2000
Discussion Paper Two
Presented by the European CommissionG/AG/NG/W/36
Page 12
Table of Contents
SUMMARY 13
1. INTRODUCTION:  IMPORTANCE OF FARMING 13
2. CONTRIBUTIONS TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT 13
3. ON-FARM ACTIVITIES 14
4. ANCILLARY INDUSTRIES AND NON-FARM ACTIVITIES 15
5. CONCLUSIONS 16G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 13
SUMMARY
1. Farming is the fabric of rural society and, in many countries of the world, it is the main
economic activity. Any sudden and profound changes which impacted on the farm sector could have
severe consequences in terms of social and political stability in economically developing countries.
2. Agriculture also plays an important part in ru ral development, especially due to land use, in
countries where the sector is of less economic significance.
3. The main potential contributions of farming to rural development are in terms of supporting
employment, ancillary businesses, and environmental services. In peripheral regions, farming may be
necessary to support the economic and social infrastructure.
4. Rural development policies should exploit the contribution of farming, both in terms of
improving on-farm activities and supporting ancillary services, to secure sustainable development for
rural areas.
5. In the context of agricultural reform, WTO rules should contain sufficient flexibility to allow
countries to promote rural development, especially to preserve social and political stability.
1. INTRODUCTION: IMPORTANCE OF FARMING
6. In rural areas throughout the world, agriculture represents the predominant land use and a
major component of the viability of rural areas. Farming and related activities make up the basicfabric of rural life, contributing significantly to the overall state of rural regions in terms of
employment and business opportunities, infrastructure and quality of the environment.
7. The degree to which farming represents a share of the rural economy, and hence its relative
importance as a sector, determines its potential economic contribution to rural development. In some
countries, farming may be the primary economic activity of a region and support the vast majority ofthe population in employment. In such regions, it is clear that overall social and political stability is
inextricably linked with the condition of the agriculture sector.
8. However, in most economically developed countries, farming accounts for a relatively small
part of a diversified rural economy, and in addition the significance of agriculture in terms of the
proportion of national wealth and employment is, in most regions, in decline. This does not lessen thepotential role of farming in rural development in those countries, but the contribution of alternative
economic activities, which may offer durable prospects for employment and economic progress,
should also be included.
9. Since the contribution of farming to rural development in different countries varies to a great
extent, policy responses need to be correspondingly distinguished, with the aim of maximisingbenefits to society.
2. CONTRIBUTIONS TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT
10. Rural development is understood primarily in the economic sense of the process of assuring a
progressive improvement in economic security of people in rural areas. Rural areas are usually
defined in terms of maximum population density, with figures varying from 150 to 500 inhabitants
per square kilometre, depending on the structure of society
1.  While any economic activity in rural
                                                     
1 OECD figures; however, within the EU, 100 inhabitants per square kilometre is normally used.G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 14
areas will have the potential to contribute to rura l development, the particular roles farming may play
fall into four broad categories:
• Employment. In countries whose share of overall employme nt in agriculture is at high levels, for
example where farmers represent over 50% of the workforce, farming is likely to be the key
economic activity determining the progress of rural development. With such a substantial
proportion of the labour force engaged in agriculture, any policy which led to a swift and artificial
reduction in employment could have disastrous consequences for the labour-force anddependants, leading to social and political instability.
• Related economy.  The farm sector in every country supports a range of ancillary and service
industries, generating economic activity in supply and distribution chains as well as processing
industries. Where farming is the primary economic activity, the entire rural economy, including
services such as health care, education and basic infrastructure, may depend on the profitability of
the sector.
• In remote and peripheral areas , where society has identified a legitimate priority to prevent
depopulation, farming is likely to be one of a limited range of economic activities possible tomaintain the economic viability of the region.
• Throughout rural areas, farming may contribute to rural development by providing environmental
and cultural services  to society.
11. These actions include support for rural development by means both of on-farm and non-
farming activities for which the state of agriculture is nevertheless a critical factor.
3. ON-FARM ACTIVITIES12. The maintenance of appropriate levels of farm employment  is a key concern in countries
where the greater part of employment is currently provided in the farming sector. Political and social
stability could be especially threatened by changes in economic activity which produce sudden
impacts on farming. Small and isolated economies, particularly those whose trade is dependent on a
limited range of agricultural products, may be vulnerable to changes in global trading conditions.Even in those economically developing countries in which one agricultural sector is considered
efficient in global terms, rural society, which overall depends on many other sectors of activity may
be at risk of serious upheaval from rapid change. In these regions, efforts to strengthen the farm sector
could include investment and improvements in productivity, while assuring the management of
consequent changes to rural employment patterns.
13. The availability of labour can dictate the type of farming practised and in particular the extent
of mechanisation. Those employed in farming may have skills which are not easily adaptable to
alternative activities, even if the opportunities were available. Many societies have a need to avoid
high rates of rural–urban migration and to manage structural change in rural areas without excessive
disruption. Thus, even if production of a commodity were to be more efficient in another part of theworld, a country should have the means to limit disruptive and potentially catastrophic changes to its
rural economy.
14. It is recognised that, in principle, increasing employment  on farms can be achieved, in the
short term, by increasing production: more labour is required to produce more output. However, over
the longer term, this trend will be superseded by increases in productivity, resulting in the expectationof an overall and continual decrease in farm employment. While the trend for farm employment may
be downwards, especially in developed countries, th ere are some exceptions illustrating the potential
for the farm sector to be a buffer against unemplo yment in specific cases. In some central European
economies undergoing rapid development in the 1980s, there was an apparent rise in the proportion ofG/AG/NG/W/36
Page 15
the population engaged in agriculture. This corresponde d to a decline in industrial employment as the
economy was adjusted to market forces and people migrated back to rural areas in search of economic
security. However, the phenomenon should be seen as a temporary response to extreme
circumstances.
15. Some consumers are demanding food products which are produced using labour-intensive
techniques. For example, organic farming, which relies on the non-use of synthetic inputs and annualrotation of crops and pasture, has been shown to require an increased level of employment owing to
the greater amount of manual labour required. Organic products have been identified by some
consumers as having more attractive characteristics than conventionally produced food and retailers
are able to command a price premium.
16. In societies which recognise the cultural importance of ensuring a balanced economic
development throughout the territory, including in its peripheral areas , particular attention will have
to be given to supporting the viability of the farm sector. Efforts to maintain or increase employment
in areas suffering from structural disadvantages, such as remoteness and difficulty of terrain, where
there may be little alternative activity to agricu lture, should inevitably focus on the farm sector.
However, in rural areas where a diverse rural economy exists, employment and other rural
development initiatives should examine all the alternatives to assess the most appropriate and durable
options.
17. Society may demand that farmers should manage their agricultural activities in ways which
also provide environmental services  to the community as a whole, such as minimising the risk of
certain natural disasters, or cultural services, such as conservation of rural heritage. These points are
discussed further in the European Commission's paper,  "Agriculture's contribution to environmentally
and culturally related non-trade concerns ".
18. Policies designed to promote the viability of the farm sector can include encouraging
investment, training, applied research and appropriate technology, and policies to manage structural
adjustment such as land reform and generational change. Rural development initiatives should bring
together all those with a legitimate interest in proposals, including where appropriate partnership
between the public and private sectors.
4. ANCILLARY INDUSTRIES AND NON-FARM ACTIVITIES
19. The farming sector will require ancillary industries to service and support the production
activities. These enterprises are also a source for employment and economic development, although
many are not located in rural areas.
20. In peripheral areas, the quality of provision of essential services, such as health care and
education, will depend on the level of economic activity and size of local population. These factors
may be dependent on the relative prosperity of the farm sector, particularly in areas having few
alternative sources of employment.
21. Increased economic stability can be provided to the farm-based rural economy by
encouraging the development of activities to add value to their production, such as processing of
consumer products on-farm or in the rural areas.  Farmers can also take greater control of theireconomic position through co-operative ventures or by selling to consumers directly through farm
shops and markets.G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 16
22. The farm buildings and land represent assets to farmers which can be used in diverse ways to
develop non-farm income. Projects frequently cited in economically developed countries include
educational initiatives to provide visitors to the farm with learning experiences and farm tourism.
23. Improvements in infrastructure, notably communications networks, may increase  the
competitivity of the farm and other sectors of the rural economy. Infrastructural investments can also
facilitate the installation of new enterprises on farm sites, although such developments are notdependent on farming.
5. CONCLUSIONS
24. The right of countries to pursue rural development policies in which agriculture plays a key
role must be recognised.
25. In regions of the world where farming represents a dominant rural economic activity,
countries should have the means at their disposal to avert disruptive and potentially catastrophic socialand political upheavals caused by a rapid decline in the economic condition of the farm sector.
26. In other rural areas, where farm employment accounts for a small portion of the workforce, a
broader approach to rural development and the role  of farming in the process, including policies to
diversify income sources, may be needed.
27. In peripheral regions, the continued viability of rural areas depends to a large extent on
policies to maintain the farming sector. Rural development policies which affect the agricultural
sector should follow the principle of being no more than minimally trade-distorting and allow
structural changes to occur.
28. In the context of agricultural reform, WTO rules should contain sufficient flexibility to allow
countries to promote rural development and preserve social and political stability.G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 17
Food security and the role
of domestic agricultural production
International Conference on Non-Trade Concerns in Agriculture
Ullensvang, Norway, 2-4 July 2000
Discussion Paper Three
Presented by Japan and the Republic of KoreaG/AG/NG/W/36
Page 18
Table of Contents
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 19
1. DEFINITION AND ELEMENTS OF FOOD SECURITY 20
1.1 Definition by the World Food Summit 20
1.2 Elements of food security 20
2. SITUATION CONCERNING FOOD SECURITY 21
2.1 Lack of access to food 21
2.2 Short-term instability of food supply and demand 21
2.3 Mid and long-term trends of food supply and demand 22
2.4 Possibility of other crisis scenarios 24
2.5 Present WTO rules/disciplines 24
3. MEANS TO ENSURE FOOD SECURITY AND POSITIVE ROLE OF DOMESTIC
PRODUCTION 25
3.1 Means to ensure food security 25
3.2 Positive roles of domestic production 27
4. DESIRABLE INTERNATIONAL FRAMEWORK TO ENSURE FOOD SECURITY   28
4.1 Need to address according to each country's situation 28
4.2 Implication for the WTO agricultural negotiations 28
4.3 Considerations on developing countries 28G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 19
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
1. Food is the most important product as it is indispensable for the maintenance of human life
and health. Everyone must have access to food and every government is responsible for ensuring a
food supply sufficient for its people.
2. More than 800 million people, mostly in developing countries, currently suffer from
undernourishment.  The lack of foreign exchange in LDCs and NFIDCs hampers access to food in the
Third World.
3. There are a number of factors affecting short-term instability of food supply and demand,
which may increase in future: a low share of trad e volume compared with production, international
market dominated by a small number of countries, diminishing level of stockholding etc.
4. The increasing world population and changes in dietary habits will increase demand for food.
On the other hand, there are a number of constraints on increases in production, including the
limitation on land and water resources, soil degradation and desertifications, various environmental
concerns, etc.  While there are strong concerns among consumers in importing countries over the
future prospect of food supply, the current WTO rules lacks adequate disciplines on export measures.
5. Imports from a diversity of countries would contribute to reduce the risk of poor harvest in a
certain exporting country, while there is always a risk of import interruption concerning transportation.
Domestic production serves as an insurance against these risks associated with imports, but also has its
own risk of unstable production.  Stockholding is an effective measure for sudden food shortages, but
it is effective only in a short run.  The optimum combination of the above three means is essential in
order to attain food security effectively at the lowest cost.
6. The optimum solution for each country varies according to its specific situation and cannot be
found by relying only on market mechanism.  In order to find this optimum solution, external effects
and public goods aspects of food security as well as the element of risk (uncertainty in supply) must be
fully taken into account.
7. Also, in examining the cost-efficiency of maintaining/increasing domestic production for food
security, other multi-functions of agricultural activities (such as land conservation, fostering waterresources, protection of the environment, strengthening socio-economic viability and the development
of rural areas, preservation of landscapes and traditional cultures) should be properly taken into
consideration.
8. Each country has a right to pursue the optimum combination of domestic production,
importation and public stockholding to ensure its food security.  A desirable international frameworkshould allow countries to pursue their respective goals based upon their specific situations, through an
appropriate combination of WTO consistent measures.
9. The committed reform process based on Article 20 should cautiously proceed so as to enhance
food security for all the Members, including ensuring sustainable domestic production, access to stable
and predictable world market and the diversity of resources of food imports.
10. At the same time, the problem and needs of developing countries should be duly taken into
consideration and properly reflected in the outcome of the WTO negotiations.G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 20
1. DEFINITION AND ELEMENTS OF FOOD SECURITY
1.1 Definition by the World Food Summit
11. Food is, as everybody knows, the most important product, as it is indispensable for the
maintenance of human life and health. Everyone must have access to food and every government is
responsible for ensuring a food supply sufficient for its people.
12. The demand for major agricultural commodities (basic food) is, in economic terms, inelastic;
consumers will buy a certain amount of food more or less regardless of price, provided they can afford
to.
13. The supply of agricultural products is, in the short term, price inelastic; agricultural
productions cannot respond quickly to price signals mainly due to the necessary time lags of
production. In addition, there are high possibilities of  considerable fluctuations in food supply since
agricultural production depends on such exogenous factors as natural conditions and climatic
phenomena.
14. In the case of basic foods, the market prices and farmers' incomes are especially unstable.  The
ever-lasting concerns for food security reflect the hi gh volatility in prices for agricultural commodities
and uncertainties in food supplies.
15. In recognition of the importance of food security, FAO hosted a summit meeting in 1996 to
secure sustainable food security.  This World Food Summit adopted its Plan of Action calling for
international co-operation. The Plan of Action gi ves the following definition of food security: " Food
security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe andnutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. "
1.2 Elements of food security
16. Availability of Food: According to the above definition of food security, sufficient food
supply should be secured in a sustainable manner, in response to the growing world population and
changing dietary habits.
17. Accessibility to Food: Food security can be attained only when physical and economic access
to food is secured. While physical accessibility to food will be affected by unforeseen events such as
wars, export embargoes/restrictions, economic accessibility will be hindered by factors such as lack of
purchasing power -- poverty.  While the factors that determine the physical accessibility to food arecommon to both developed and developing countries, the factors hampering economic access are
especially serious in developing countries.
18. Stability of Food Supply: Food should be supplied at reasonable prices in a stable manner.
Food price tends to be unstable by nature due to the price inelasticity of supply and demand for major
agricultural commodities.
19. Food Safety/Quality and Preference: The last, but not least, important element of food security
is to provide food that is safe and in good quality satisfying the dietary needs and preference of
consumers.G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 21
2. SITUATION CONCERNING FOOD SECURITY
2.1 Lack of access to food
20. According to an estimate made by FAO, about 790 million people in developing countries and
34 million in developed countries and in countries w ith economies in transition, currently suffer from
undernourishment1.  Over three-fourths of undernourished people live in Asia, the Pacific and Sub-
Saharan Africa, and the malnutrition in those countries co-exists with affluence in other parts of the
world.  Although the undernourished population all over the world is expected to decrease over the
next decade, an increase is forecasted in areas such as sub-Saharan Africa.
21. The lack of foreign exchange in LDCs and NFIDCs hampers access to food in the Third
World.  The ratio of food imports to total merchandise imports has been increasing in such countries2.
Their financial resources for developing their domestic agricultural production system are also limited.
Furthermore, global food aid deliveries to LDCs and NFIDCs have declined in recent years, from 17.4
million tonnes in 1993 to 8.0 million tonnes in 1998.3
2.2 Short-term instability of food supply and demand
22. In general, production of basic food has a tendency to satisfy primarily domestic demands and
only the surpluses are exported.  The amount of major agricultural commodities which is destined for
the international market is small as compared with the total amount domestically produced.  For
example, the amount of wheat traded is around 18.5 % of the world's production, and in the case of
rice the ratio is about 4.5 %4.  That is one of the reasons why a fluctuation in yields in major exporting
and/or large consuming countries easily affects world prices.
23. A classic example of such an experience was the sudden rise in major agricultural
commodities' prices in 1972, when world agricultural production fell because of abnormal weather
conditions world-wide, and the former Soviet Un ion's purchase of a huge amount of food from the
world market further aggravated the situation.  A more recent example is the large amount of grainpurchase by Indonesia in face of the Asian financial crisis.  The financial crisis also severely affected
the Korean livestock sector, when many farmers went bankrupt due to the soaring prices of feed grains
and a lack of hard currency.
24. Another feature of the agricultural trade is that a limited number of exporting countries
dominate international markets (see figure 1). This concentration of suppliers makes fluctuations inworld market prices greater in cases of abnormal weather conditions in those countries.
25. Furthermore, it has been pointed out that the level of stockholding by major exporting
countries will probably continue to diminish in future.  A decrease in buffer stock to address the risk
of short-term food shortage would add another source of fluctuations in the supply and demand
situation of world agricultural trade.
                                                     
1  See FAO (1999) The State of Food Insecurity in the World.  (FAO, Rome)
2  See Konandreas, P., Sharma, R., and Greenfield, J (1999) The Agreement on Agriculture: Some
preliminary assessment from the experience so far.  Paper submitted to a conference on The Uruguay Round
Agreement on Agriculture: Taking Stocks, sponsored by CIIR/UK Food Group, London, 28 January 1999.
3  Monitored by WFP.  See a background paper by  the Secretariat of WTO Committee on Agriculture,
G/AG/NG/S4, p.3, 6, for details.
4  Including trade of wheat flour, milled rice etc. Based on the data of 1989-98 of FAOSTAT.G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 22
Figure 1: Shares in Major Grains Exports by the Top-Three Largest Country/Areas in
1998 (Quantitative terms).
Note: The share of the EU excludes the intra-EU trade.
Source: FAOSTAT
26. Also, in the present world market situation where major agricultural commodities are
dominated by a small number of large-scale multinational 'grain majors' and export state trading
enterprises ('single desk sellers'), it does not guarantee importing countries the ability to secure a stable
food supply in terms of price and quantity.
27. Taking into account the factors discussed above, the short-term instability of food supplies
may increase.
2.3 Mid and long-term trends of food supply and demand
Increasing demand for food
28. The world population is expected to increase continuously.  An estimate by the UN predicts
that it will reach 8 billion by 2025, and 9.4 billion by 2050.  It should be noted that most of the
increase in population will be seen in developing countries.
29. Current per capita meat consumption in developing countries is only 30% of that in developed
countries.  However, a rise in the level of income in many developing countries, particularly in China
and several east Asian countries, would bring about changes in dietary habits, causing increasingdemand for meat and dairy products, thus important increases in demand for feed grains.  China,
traditionally an exporting country of feed grains, has become a large importer in recent years.89.789.471.160.560.7
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%SoybeansMaizeBarleyRiceWheat
Top-Three's Shares in ExportsG/AG/NG/W/36
Page 23
Figure 2: Changes in Production and Productivity of Major Grains, World Agricultural
Land, and Total Harvested Area per Capita between 1961 and 1996.
80100120140160180200220240
1961 1966 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 Year
00.050.10.150.20.25
Note: Figures of production, productivity and world agricultural area are expressed in relative values to 1961.
Source: FAOSTAT
Various constraints on increases in production
30. World grain production doubled in three decades from 920 million tonnes in 1961-63 to 1,930
million tonnes in 1992-94.  However, the agricultural land for grain production has increased only six
per cent over the same period; i.e. from 1.27 billion ha to 1.35 billion ha.  With the population growth,the total harvested area per capita has persistently decreased during that period.  The increase in grain
production is attributed primarily to the increase in productivity; the introduction of high yielding
varieties, the increased use of chemical fertilisers, and improved irrigation facilities.  But the growth in
productivity has not been so remarkable in recent years (see figure 2).
31. FAO estimates that some 1.8 billion ha of land in developing countries is potentially available
for future agricultural use.  However, at the sa me time FAO warns that whether we can exploit fully
this potentiality or not is quite uncertain for the following reasons:
• that land is unevenly located, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and South and Central America
5;
• the larger part is forests or nature reserves, thus may not be utilised for agricultural production;
and
• two-thirds of it has problems in terms of soil and/or topography.
                                                     
5  According to an analysis by IFPRI, Asia's farm land expansion has reached its limit and productivity
also reached 90% of its potential.  Source: Pinstrup-Andersen, P., Pandya-Lorch, R., and Rosegrant, M. (1997)
The World Food Situation: Recent Developments , Emerging Issues, and Long-Term Prospects . (IFPRI,
Washington)Harvested
Area/personProduction
Productivity
Agricultural LandG/AG/NG/W/36
Page 24
32. Increasing environmental concerns, especially from the viewpoint of sustainable development,
should duly be taken into account when choosing production methods to increase productivity.
33. Other possible constraints for increases in production are soil degradation; desertification due
to over-grazing and excessive forest exploitation; competition with other sectors in the use of water
resources; and other environmental problems such as global warming, destruction of ozone layer, andacid rain.
34. It should be also noted that once abandoned, recovery of agricultural production in a short
period of time is difficult, because of soil deterioration, destruction of irrigation/drainage system and
irreversibility of specific know-how.
35. Although some argue there is a possibility of substantial improvement in productivity
resulting from developments in biotechnology, its prospects are still uncertain and various constraints
discussed above could become obstacles to reaping the benefits of modern technology.
2.4 Possibility of other crisis scenarios
36. There are several other factors which might reduce the availability of food
6.  Wars and
conflicts greatly affect food supply situations both globally and regionally.  Extensive radioactive
fallout may occur as a result of a nuclear accident.
37. Measures by exporting countries such as embargoes and/or export restrictions threaten the
food security of importing countries.  A marked example was that on soybeans in 1973.
2.5 Present WTO rules/disciplines
38. Under the present WTO rules and disciplines, all the Member countries are required to
commit themselves to access opportunities that are incorporated into their schedules as well as to
import tariffs and tariffs quotas.  The use of border measures other than ordinary customs duties
(measures in GATT 1947 XI: 2(c)) is prohibited (Article 4: 2)7.
39. However, food-exporting countries are free to export or withhold their agricultural products,
depending upon their domestic market situations.  They can regulate their agricultural exports not onlyby raising export tariffs which are not required to be bound in schedules but also by having recourse to
quantitative export restrictions/prohibitions which are not prohibited under certain conditions (GATT
1947 XI: 2(a)).
40. Against the export restrictions and prohibition measures by the exporting countries, a weak
discipline is stipulated in the Agreement on Agricult ure (Article 12): a Member instituting the export
prohibition or restriction shall give due consideration to the effect on importing Member's food
security and shall consult, upon request, with any other Member having a substantial interest as an
importer.
                                                     
6  See 'Food Security and the Role of Domestic Agricultural Food Production' , a paper submitted by
Norway to Analysis and Information Exchange process in June 1999 (AIE/57).
7 In reality a country can be exporter and importer at the same time.  Dichotomy between importing
countries and exporting countries is of conceptual nature.G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 25
3. MEANS TO ENSURE FOOD SECURITY AND POSITIVE ROLE OF DOMESTIC
PRODUCTION
3.1 Means to ensure food security
41. In relation to food security, some argue that trade liberalisation will stabilise the global market
prices, which will, in turn, contribute to attaining food security. They further claim that free trade will
secure food security by creating trade gains and increase purchasing powers through economic
development.
42. However, in countries which depend heavily on food imports, there are strong concerns
among consumers over the fact that the future prospect of food supply and demand are not very
optimistic and that there is no guarantee that so -called ‘free trade' will naturally lead to the
stabilisation of food supply and prices, given the present international agricultural market situations as
well as current WTO rules and disciplines.  Furthermore, wars and other emergencies may result in
difficulties in obtaining physical and economic access to food.
43. These arguments led to the FAO Plan of Action in 1996 that states "increased production,
including traditional crops and their products, in efficient combination with food imports, reserves,
and international trade can strengthen food security and address regional disparities ".
44. And this May in CSD8, countries agreed in its report as follows: " All governments are urged
to reaffirm their individual and collective commitm ents to achieving food security, particularly
through development of domestic food production, co mbined with the importation, where appropriate,
and storage of food, and to realising the important goal to reduce the number of undernourishedpeople by one half by 2015, as agreed at the World Food Summit ".
45. The means for a government to secure food security are domestic production, importation and
public stockholding.  Imports from a diversity of countries would contribute to reduce the risk of poor
harvest in a certain exporting country, while there is always a risk of import interruption concerning
transportation.  Domestic production serves as an insurance against these risks associated withimports, but also has its own risk of unstable production.  Stockholding is an effective measure for
sudden food shortages, but it is effective only in a short run.  The optimum combination of the above
three means is essential in order to attain food security effectively at the lowest cost.
46. The optimum solution for each country varies according to its specific situation and cannot be
found by relying only on market mechanism.  In order to find this optimum solution, external effectsand public goods aspects of food security as well as the element of risk (uncertainty in supply) must be
fully taken into account  (see box).G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 26
Self Sufficiency Level SS* TD′
R1′
R′T′
DR
MM′ R1′ R1
T
RT'
D'
M'
R1'
R'D
M
SS*
Self-Sufficiency LevelCost o f
Food
SecurityBox:   A Conceptual Illustration of Food Security
The following diagram is intended to show a conceptual illustration of food security,
especially in relation with the cost to secure it.  In the figure below, the horizontal axis
represents self-sufficiency level and vertical axis represents cost of securing food security.
DD': Opportunity cost incurred by domestic production of basic food, i.e. quantity of domestic
production multiplied by the price difference between domestic products and imports on
the assumption that an increase in imports will not affect the world market price, as well as
opportunity cost by renouncing the merit of risk diversification supposing that agricultural
production is equally unstable domestically and abroad (Risks/costs associated with
importation of food are not considered at this stage.  They are dealt with by RR' explainedbelow).  As self-sufficiency level increases, the cost increases rapidly, for more resources,
including unfavourable land for production, have to be used to produce food.  If the net
positive externality produced jointly with agricultural production other than food security is
taken into account, then the DD' shifts downwards to MM'.
RR': As self-sufficiency level declines, the risk to food security arising from importinterruption/suspension increases rapidly.  The cost (insurance premium) which
consumers/taxpayers pay in order to avoid the risk and ensure the food security can be
regarded to correspond to this risk curve.  The more unstable the world market is, and the
more risk-averse importing country's consumers are, then the RR' shifts upwards to R1R1'.G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 27
TT': The total cost of securing food security (sum of the opportunity cost incurred by
domestic production and the risk aversion cost concerning imports; DD' + RR').
/g167 Food security will be achieved at the minimum cost at SS*, where TT' becomes its
minimum level.  When the self-sufficiency level is higher or lower than this point, thecost of food security is higher.
/g167 As pointed out in the text, in examining the cost of food security, we should take into
account other positive externalities than food security which domestic agricultural
activities provide jointly.  This means the opportunity cost curve of domestic productionis MM', lower than DD' (supposing positive externalities are greater than negative
externalities), and the total cost of food security is lower by the difference of the two
curves.  Also, the optimum level of food sufficiency may move from SS*.
/g167 If people's risk aversion preference is higher, RR' will shift to R1R1', and will increase
the cost of food security.  Again, the optimum food sufficiency level may move from SS*
/g167 What will be exact features of various curves above, as well as how their changes will
affect the optimum level of food security, are of empirical nature, depending on each
country's conditions and the degree of risk-aversion of consumers/taxpayers.
3.2 Positive roles of domestic production
47. The sustainable utilisation of domestic agricultural resources in each country plays an
important role for assuring food security, taking into consideration the fact that the prospects for
expansion of farmland are limited.  The maintenance of domestic agricultural production (actual and
potential) alleviates people's concerns about food supply shortage in the case of unexpected events.
Domestic production plays a role of insurance against risks, such as import interruptions, poor harvestsin exporting countries, etc.  It is important to maintain a certain level of domestic production and its
potential with sustainable farming methods, along w ith an appropriate combination with imports and
stockholding.  In this context, economically less attractive but environmentally safe locations may
have to continue to be used for agricultural production.
48. Domestic agricultural production not only contributes to food security but also has other
multi-functions, inter alia , land conservation, fostering water resources, protection of the environment,
strengthening socio-economic viability and development of rural areas, preservation of landscapes and
traditional cultures. In particular, for developing countries where a high proportion of labour force is
engaged in agriculture, farming activities are important from the viewpoint of rural development and
employment and of avoiding concentration of population in urban areas.
49. Domestic production is related to these multifunctional roles of agriculture, and in examining
the cost-efficiency of maintaining/increasing domestic production for food security, other
contributions by the domestic agricultural activities should be properly taken into consideration.G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 28
4. DESIRABLE INTERNATIONAL FRAMEWORK TO ENSURE FOOD SECURITY
4.1 Need to address according to each country's situation
50. As stated in the previous chapter, each countr y has a right to pursue the optimum combination
of domestic production, importation and public stockholding to ensure its food security.  A desirable
international framework should allow countries to pursue their respective goals based upon their
specific situations.
51. In the case of developed countries, the need to  maintain infrastructures for production in case
of crisis, and to keep a certain level of domestic production is essential to secure food security, as wellas securing stable and diversified importation of agricultural products.  Public stockholding is also a
necessary and important policy measure, but it is effective only as a short-term relief.
52. In the case of developing countries, in addition to the points above, an increase in people's
purchasing power of food is essential, as well as an increase in domestic food production in a
sustainable manner.  It should also be noted that a number of food exporting developing countries areat the same time importers of basic food, and their exports are often concentrated on one or a few
agricultural commodities.
4.2 Implication for the WTO agricultural negotiations
53. In the light of the various situations mentioned above, we must recognise that food security
cannot be achieved through a panacea prescription applied to all the Members of WTO.  In other
words, food security can only be secured through an appropriate combination of WTO consistentmeasures, such as domestic supports, border measures, stronger disciplines for export
restriction/prohibition measures and an adequate level of food aid for NFIDCs, taking into account the
specific situations in various countries.
54. The WTO Negotiations on Agriculture have started this year, based on Article 20 of the
Agreement on Agriculture, which all the Members have committed to.  In this framework of reformprocess, we should seek the establishment of a set of rules that will allow all the Members with their
different backgrounds to have ample flexibility to implement the most suitable combination of policy
measures to attain their own goal of food security.  The reform should cautiously proceed so as to
enhance food security for all the countries, including ensuring sustainable domestic production, access
to stable and predictable world market and diversity of resources of food imports.  In this context, thereform should include, inter alia ;
• Flexibility to allow the maintenance of a certain level of domestic production and its potential
through a proper combination of appropriate domestic support measures and border measures;
• A balanced reflection of the interests among importing (especially, net food-importing) countries
and exporting countries.
4.3 Considerations on developing countries
55. At the same time, the problem and needs of developing countries should be duly taken into
consideration in the negotiations and properly reflected in the outcome, inter alia ;
• helping developing countries, especially LDCs, to participate in the world market and the WTO
system, taking duly into account their exporting interests;G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 29
• adequate food aid for countries in need (especially NFIDCs), avoiding negative impacts on the
enhancement of their domestic production; and
• sufficient assistance and capacity building to enhance domestic food production in developing
countries.G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 30/31
Agriculture's contribution to
environmentally and culturally related
non-trade concerns
International Conference on Non-Trade Concerns in Agriculture
Ullensvang, Norway, 2-4 July 2000
Discussion Paper Four
Presented by the European CommissionG/AG/NG/W/36
Page 32
Table of Contents
SUMMARY 33
1. INTRODUCTION 33
2. FARMING LEGACY 34
3. ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL OUTPUTS OF FARMING 35
3.1 Biological diversity 353.2 Farmed landscape 36
3.3 Historical features 37
3.4 Natural disasters 37
3.5 Joint products 37
4. PRESSURES ON FARMING PUTTING AT RISK NON-TRADE CONCERNS 38
5. CONCLUSIONS 38G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 33
SUMMARY
1. In order to assure the provision of environmental and cultural benefits from farming, countries
may need to implement specific and targeted policies designed to persuade farmers to deliver these
public services.
2. Farming and conservation of the natural environment are processes which, through evolution,
are inextricably linked. Agriculture is the primary land use in most of the world and landscapes and
biological diversity evolved with the growth of farming.
3. Today's agricultural systems can promote environmental value by maintaining valued
landscapes, conserving biodiversity and protecting hist orical features. Farming also has a role to play
in protecting people from the effects of certain natural disasters. The provision of these environmentalservices is unlikely to be assured by market forces alone.
4. Pressures on farming, derived mainly from technological developments and liberalisation of
markets, cause farmers to modify their farm practices to maintain and advance their businesses.
Common trends include intensification, specialisation and concentration in profitable areas and
marginalisation and even abandonment in difficult areas.  These trends are likely to lead to a reduction
in the provision of environmental and cultural public goods.
5. A range of policy instruments should be cons idered, including encouragement for farmers to
adopt practices going beyond normal practice, to secure the supply of the public goods. WTO rules
should contain enough flexibility to allow countries to provide for such policies, which should be no
more than minimally trade distorting.
1. INTRODUCTION
6. The non-trade concerns considered in this paper are:
- Conservation of biological diversity, meaning the numbers of species and
individuals of flora and fauna;
- Maintenance of farmed landscapes, including cultivated and semi-natural
habitats and landscape features, such as terracing;
- Preservation of cultural features, including historical remains on farmland and
land uses of cultural significance;
- Protection against disasters, whether natural or induced (or exacerbated) by
human intervention, such as flooding, fire, avalanche, and severe erosion
caused by wind or water.
7. The significance of these non-trade concerns depends on the values placed on them by society.
Such values reflect to a certain degree clear and generally accepted thresholds. They can, however,
also be a function of history and culture. Thus, one society may value highly the continued existence
of a species of wild plant which appears insignificant to outsiders; another society may place emphasis
on cultural features which, again, are not valued to the same extent by other societies. For all non-trade
concerns, care is needed to identify legitimate objectives which may be pursued and avoid abuse of the
concept.G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 34
8. Whether the farming sector in a given country or region satisfies the non-trade concerns of its
society will depend on a number of variables, such as the state of technological development, farm
structures, availability of capital and other factors of production (chiefly land and labour), market
signals and competitive environment, and messages resulting from governmental policy. In the case of
public goods, such as environmental benefits, technology and market messages are unlikely to providethe necessary targeted support to deliver the desired outcome, which places an increased burden on
policy measures.
2. FARMING LEGACY
9. Only a minority of rural landscapes  in the world are not, in some significant way, the result
of the formative influence of agriculture—and those that are not are largely uninhabited. The rise of
agriculture enabled and fed the development of civilisations, and in so doing it became the dominant
land use. Throughout the world, especially but not exclusively in Africa, Asia and Europe, modern
landscapes bear the form and composition of a farming heritage. This legacy is manifest in diverse
ways, such as the pattern and size of fields, extent and type of grasslands, existence of landscapefeatures, use of terracing, cropping rotations, and settlement patterns. Agrarian societies have also
bequeathed cultural features which, where they remain, continue to form an integral part of the farmed
landscape.
10. The ecological stability  of rural areas is also shaped by the farming past, which has
influenced the evolution of diverse species of wild flora and fauna. Indeed, the significance of farming
as a positive  force for the development of biological diversity has been understood only comparatively
recently. In Europe, the conventional view was that the dominant process over past millennia had beenthe progressive clearance of an unbroken forest stretching from the Mediterranean to the tundra.
Accompanying this progression, was a supposed decline in biological diversity expressed as numbers
of species and individuals of plants and animals. However, this view must be challenged since a high
proportion of Europe's fauna and flora are adapted to open  landscapes and could not have evolved or
survived in unbroken forest. Thus, the landscape mu st always have been richly varied, including a
mosaic of woodland, wetland and extensive tracts of open country in which agriculture naturally
developed.
11. One commentator has described this as a process " in which Man is part of the ecosystem not,
as is commonly perceived, set aside as some predatory witness awaiting opportunities to exploit it ….
he has both developed with the ecosystem and influenced its development, in the same way as haveclimatic change, the grazing and browsing of wild  herbivores, lightning strikes, extremes of drought
and flood and other factors which have also driven ecological change and circumscribed biological
diversity ." This relationship between the rural en vironment and the farming systems which have
fashioned it, is common to rural areas throughout the world and particularly evident where farming has
a substantial history.
12. However, the agricultural processes  by which the farmed landscape and biological diversity
evolved should not be seen as a deliberate or conscious attempt to create cultural values for later
societies. The impact on the environment has been the largely unintended consequence of efforts by
farmers to overcome technological challenges limiting their productive capacity, in particular in
relation to use of water and nutrients.
13. The need to control the supply of water , has been pivotal in the development of agriculture
throughout the world. In highlands of Asia, extensive terracing systems were developed by farmers in
fertile mountainous regions to collect and control the release of water as well as to prevent the
potentially disastrous effects of soil erosion from heavy rains on cultivated hillsides. A subsidiary
effect of terracing was to protect lands further downstream from flooding which would otherwise be
caused by excessively high peak discharge levels of water runoff. In low-lying areas, flood plains usedG/AG/NG/W/36
Page 35
and maintained by farmers are a common feature of landscapes intended to deal with, and profit from,
periodic flooding. More generally, the availability of water, as well as other needs and capabilities of
farming, have dictated settlement patterns and landscape features across the continents.
14. The need to increase nutrient input —the same demand which has in more recent years led to
problems of pollution of water resources—was another universal challenge faced by farmers. As with
water management, farmers' efforts to improve soil fertility also had lasting impacts on the landscape
and biological diversity. In central Europe, agriculture became the primary land use about 1000 years
ago, supporting a rapidly increasing population. Like elsewhere in the world, farmers evolved
elaborate ways of improving nutrient use, since this was the basic limitation to expansion of
productivity. Sophisticated means of obtaining additional nutrients and energy were developed locallythrough pasturing systems on heaths and in woodlands, alternating the use of fields, meadows and
fallow, giving rise to the region's characteristic landscapes.
15. In addition to mastering water supply and input of nutrients, farmers adopted techniques to
address diverse challenges , including to reduce risk of disease outbreak, to guard against fire,
drought, wind erosion and other natural disasters, a nd to exploit difficult terrain. In doing so, their
management of the land and skills in developing breeds of farm animal and varieties of crop suited to
different circumstances, have impacted on the landscape and the cultural heritage of rural areas. In
most parts of the world, these processes led to an increase in biological diversity of both domestic and
wild species, the creation of semi-natural habitats, and today's farmed landscapes.
16. However, while technological efforts to overcome  the challenges to farming initially gave rise
to the cultural landscapes later to be valued by society, further advances in technology, especially in
the last century, have led to deleterious impacts . In extreme cases, soil itself has been lost to wind or
water erosion on account of inappropriate farming methods. Improvements in technology, availability
of capital and a competitive marketplace have led to monculture-based systems replacing mixed
farms—together with the landscapes, flora and fauna to which the mixed systems had given rise. A
particularly acute and universal problem has been the marginalisation of certain farming systems
caused by increasing efficiencies of production elsewhere. Thus production of grains or livestockproducts in (economically) developing countries may be less efficient than equivalent production in
developed countries, despite the substantial competitive advantages to the farmers in developing
countries in terms of labour costs and proximity to local markets. Even within the economically
developed countries, the continuation of farming systems in marginal areas, such as mountain or arid
regions, which are integral to the conservation of the landscape and its biological diversity, may beunder threat for similar reasons.
3. ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL OUTPUTS OF FARMING
17. Farming systems today continue to influence the development of the rural environment.
Agriculture has both positive impacts, leading to the maintenance or enhancement of non-tradeconcerns, or negative effects, such as the pollution of water resources or destruction of landscape
features. The main areas of interest are biological diversity, the farmed landscape, historical features
and natural disasters.
3.1 Biological diversity18. Research in northern Europe has shown that the great majority of vascular plant species
occurring naturally are dependent on farmed open landscapes. If farming were to cease, scrub would
quickly encroach on the open land, leading to afforestation and a loss of species diversity. However,
the farming systems on which plant diversity depends are typified by low-input, low-outputG/AG/NG/W/36
Page 36
management of livestock, grazed on pasture for part of the year and fed on relatively inefficient fodder
crops in the winter months. Clearly, a high-input , high-output intensive system of production, which
requires high levels of nutrient input use would not conserve the biological diversity of the grazed
lands associated with the former system. It should be noted that in terms of economic efficiency, a
low-input, low-output system is not intrinsically less efficient than an intensive system, as efficiency
depends on cost and profit variables, especially the levels of debt and capitalisation of the farm.
19. Similar results have been produced from research on farmland birds in Europe. In one case, it
has been shown that a bird species depends for its life-cycle on the supply of particular insects, which
in turn only flourish on lands grazed by extensively managed cattle. If farmers adopt different animal
husbandry methods, or, for example use certain medications on the cattle, the insects would notsurvive, leading in turn to a reduction in food supply for the birds.
20. The extent to which the biological diversity in these examples is valued, is a cultural
judgement to be exercised by society. However, the existence of common values throughout the world
is evidenced by international standards and aspira tions, set down in conventions and other instruments.
21. Management of farming systems dedicated to the conservation of biological diversity may
require the farmers to undertake costly activities or forego profitable operations. In many cases, this
will result in reduced production as the intensity of use of inputs, and hence the level of food and fibre
outputs, is diminished. Thus, although the conservation activity is linked to production, output is at a
lower level than under the farming system which would otherwise take place.
3.2 Farmed landscape
22. For a substantial part of its growth cycle, rice needs to be cultivated in slow-moving water,
necessitating flat fields. In hill and mountainous regions this has inevitably led to the creation of
terraced landscapes, for example in Japan. While rice can be cultivated at a lower cost elsewhere in the
world, cessation of production on terraces would most likely lead to their disrepair and eventual
destruction. This would impoverish the landscape as well as increase risk of flooding to communities
downstream of the terraces.
23. Mixed farm landscapes, created in order to utilise benefits to fertility of rotation and diversity
of crops and livestock, are a feature of rural areas throughout the world. However, advances in
technology have enabled farmers to specialise their production while increasing productivity—but at
the expense of the landscape. In some countries, the cessation of the use of mixed farming patterns has
led to impoverishment of the soil and erosion as the soil structure breaks down.
24. In certain arid zones, farming bears a particul ar role to preserve the farmed landscape and
prevent its loss to desert. This imposes on farmers the duty to follow specific management techniques
to maintain soil in an agricultural condition and to avoid actions which could risk catastrophic soil
erosion.
25. As with biological diversity, some landscape types have been recognised at international  level
as having cultural value, thus creating a presumption in favour of their preservation. However, in
general, landscape values depend on the judgement of society and governments need to set clear
criteria by which valuable landscapes are identified. The conservation of particular farmed landscapes
may impose costs on farmers who undertake specific  maintenance activities, or who must continue
uneconomic farming practices in places liable to abandonment, for the landscape to survive.G/AG/NG/W/36
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3.3 Historical features
26. Historical farmland features include archaeological remains, whether under the soil of farmed
land or at field margins, as well as field patterns and living remnants of ancient forests. Some features,
which society particularly values, may be comparatively recent, such as the century-old field and farmbarns which characterise many landscapes in Europe and North America.
27. The risk to these elements is that farming efficiency could be increased by allowing or causing
the cessation of farming use or destruction of the historical features. In order to preserve them, it may
be necessary to ensure that farmers avoid certain activities (such as deep ploughing, planting of trees,
or destruction of field boundaries, which would dist urb the sites), continue their agricultural use
although this may be uneconomic to do so, or undertake maintenance works, which would have cost
implications.
28. As with other environmental and cultural concerns, the value placed on the historical features
by society determines the need for their conservation.
3.4 Natural disasters
29. In a semi-natural landscape, the impact of natural disasters is likely to be greatly influenced by
farming activities. The cases of rice terraces preventing floods in lower-lying regions, or farmers
avoiding desertification of their land, are illustrative. Abandonment of farmed terracing for crop
production has been shown to cause the loss of entire hillsides in Europe.
30. Prevention of many other types of natural disaster is also dependent on farming methods. In
dry regions the build up of scrub, or excess biomass, can result in a substantial risk of fire. Whereappropriate farming is practised, the scrub is grazed out, thus protecting the countryside from the
effects of the natural disaster. Grazing can also reduce the risk of avalanche in mountainous regions,
which is minimised on grazed or cut mountain pastures. The risk of avalanche is considerably
increased where snow builds up on long grass.
31. However, farming can be responsible for provoking natural disasters; for example
inappropriate ploughing and land use can lead to loss of soil on a disastrous scale through erosion by
wind or water. In these cases, society may expect that farmers adopt certain techniques as part of their
normal practice. However, if society demands that farmers undertake specific additional efforts in
order to secure the public good of minimising risk of disaster, there may be a considerable additional
cost to the farmer not recompensed by the market.
3.5 Joint products
32. In the above examples, some of the environmental and cultural non-trade concerns can only be
met through certain farming activities. It has been suggested that, in order to minimise supposed
distortions to trade, the products of such activities should be thrown away and not placed on anymarket. While this position is untenable on account of the cost and waste inefficiencies, the fact of
joint production of both marketable products and environmental or cultural services should not be used
to conceal distortive economic subsidies. Accordingly, wherever society, in pursuit of a legitimate
environmental or cultural objective, demands that farmers undertake efforts to deliver the public good,
then governments should only recompense farmers for their additional costs and income foregone,
taking fully into account the farmer's in come from selling commodities on the market.G/AG/NG/W/36
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4. PRESSURES ON FARMING PUTTING AT RISK NON-TRADE CONCERNS
33. Of the various factors influencing farming practice, undoubtedly the most significant agent of
change is the development of available technologies. The application of new inputs, machinery, seed
varieties, bloodlines, as well as improved efficiencies in processing, storage and handling facilities forcommodity products, allow farmers the tools to incr ease production and reduce costs. In the absence
of policy instruments to mitigate the message from the market, farmers are forced to focus on narrow
economic concerns in considering whether to adopt new techniques. For all but a few (philanthropic)
commercial farmers, the provision of public goods will hardly enter the equation.
34. Pressures on price lead farmers either to cut costs or to increase yield (or both). If this process
is unchecked by public policy, farmers can be tempted to adopt any means to increase yields and
output. This process may lead farmers to destroy landscape features, in order, for example, to enlarge
field size, and increase use of inputs, notwithsta nding the negative impact on nutrient-adverse wild
plants and the risk of pollution events. In addition, many farmers may find themselves on a
competitive and technological treadmill: the fact that one farmer in a region derives economic benefitfrom using a new technique, means that all farmer s have to follow in order to maintain their
competitivity.
35. The narrow economic focus, largely ignoring the non-trade concerns of farming, has led to
four clearly identified trends in agriculture throughout the world, particularly in developed countries:
• Concentration, where farmers producing the same product congregate in certain zones and so
increase economies of scale, for example by lowering supply costs;
• Specialisation, leading to the decline of the mixed farm and rise of specialist or monoculture
farms;
• Intensification, resulting in increased use of inputs, higher operating costs and higher yields
needed to cover the increased costs;
• Marginalisation, resulting in the underuse and in some places abandonment, of farmland
handicapped by structural disadvantage.
36. All of these trends militate against the continued provision of adequate responses to non-trade
concerns: high-value landscapes are lost; biological diversity suffers; pollution of water resources
increases; and production methods become divorced from public expectations.
5. CONCLUSIONS
37. In devising policy responses to secure the provision of non-trade concerns, governments have
to ensure that the clear objective of the policy is to secure the public good. This requires that policies
are targeted, have clear objectives, are administered in a transparent manner, and are implemented in
no more than minimally trade-distorting ways.
38. In the case of joint products, clearly there is an association between the environmental or other
public good produced and the agricultural production.
39. In order to meet society's environmental and cultural non-trade concerns, a range of policy
instruments should be considered, including the following:
• Encouragement actions, such provision of extension services, publicity and public campaigns
(which can be led by non-governmental organisations);G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 39
• Compulsory regulation, where appropriate, for example to cover farm-related activities which
should be prohibited. Regulation may be an appropriate option in order to prevent pollution;
• Voluntary programmes designed to persuade farmers to deliver public goods, such as
environmental services. By creating a market in provision of public goods, farmers can bring
environmental and cultural factors into their eco nomic decisions on an equal footing with the
commercial pressures presented by the marketplace for their crops and livestock products.
40. Where farmers are required to go beyond good agricultural practice, or normal practice in the
region concerned, to deliver the non-trade concerns to society, governments should be able to
compensate them for the costs and income losses incurred.
41. The reform process under the auspices of WTO rules should allow governments to implement
policies which meet legitimate environmental and cultural non-trade concerns.G/AG/NG/W/36
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Developing countries
and non-trade concerns
International Conference on Non-Trade Concerns in Agriculture
Ullensvang, Norway, 2-4 July 2000
Discussion Paper Five rev.1
Presented by MauritiusG/AG/NG/W/36
Page 42
Table of Contents
SUMMARY 43
1. INTRODUCTION 43
2. THE CONTEXT 44
3. DIVERSITY AMONG DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 46
3.1 Major exporters of commodities 463.2 Large countries being more or less self sufficient 47
3.3 Large and medium net food-importing countries 47
3.4 Small island states 47
3.5 LDCs 48
4. PRESENCE AND ROLE OF AGRICULTURE 48
5. ECONOMIC ISSUES 49
5.1 Food procurement 49
5.2 The world market 49
5.3 Cross-linkages with other sectors 50
5.4 Cost of production 51
6. SCOPE OF DIVERSIFICATION 51
7. PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT 51
8. MEANS TO ADDRESS NON-TRADE CONCERNS 52G/AG/NG/W/36
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SUMMARY
1. The negotiations which started in the Uruguay Round from a purely economic angle were
concluded with the due recognition that agriculture spanned both the trade and non-trade domains.
2. Article 20 of the Agreement of Agriculture lays down the principles on which future
negotiations should be conducted.  It underscores the need for the reform process to be based onprogressive liberalisation and for a number of issues to be addressed prior to any further commitments
being envisaged.   Non-trade concerns feature prominently among these issues.
3. Article 20 should be read in conjunction with other parts of the Agreement on Agriculture,
mindful of various international commitments.  In this  context, the following are particularly relevant:
the International Covenant on Economic, Social a nd Cultural Rights which emphasises the importance
of adequate food supply alongside the continuous improvement of living conditions; and the World
Food Summit which highlights the multifunctional role of agriculture and the concerns surrounding
issues such as rural development and out-migration, high and low potential areas and food security.
4. Indeed, the role of agriculture in all countries is not limited to the production of food and
fibre.  In many cases, it underpins the socio-economic fabric of rural areas and often, that of countriesthemselves.  In a number of developing countries, agriculture provides an instrumental link to the
development of eco-tourism, the means for the production of clean energy, thereby avoiding the use of
fossil fuels, the provision of social amenities an d in fostering research and technology development.
Moreover, it has an important role in the protection and preservation of the environment and
biodiversity.
5. Concerns surrounding non-trade issues cut across the divide of developed and developing
countries.  The latter countries comprise various interest groups, ranging from major commodityexporters; large countries which are almost food self-sufficient; large and medium net food-importing
countries; small island states; and the least developed countries.  Net food-importing developing
countries are featured in several of these interest groups. The approach of developing countries to non-
trade concerns and their responses to liberalisation and food procurement are broadly guided by their
particular agricultural configurations.
6. Addressing non-trade concerns is vital.  While Annex II lists a certain number of policy
measures that may be used for this purpose, green-box provisions have been described as inadequate
and/or unaffordable by many developing countries.
1. INTRODUCTION7. The Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Nego tiations was launched in 1986 by the Punta
Del Este Declaration.  This Declaration, seemingly influenced by an economic perspective, spelt out
the scope of negotiations in agriculture, namely th at these negotiations were meant to correct and
prevent "restrictions and distortions" in world agricultural trade.  No mention was made of non-trade
concerns.  The Round was concluded eight years after Punta del Este, lasting three years longer thanexpected. It led to a comprehensive and broadbased set of Agreements.
8. Absence of agreement in agriculture was one of the main reasons for these protracted
negotiations.  In agriculture, the negotiators struck a delicate balance of interests and one of the major
departures from the Punta Del Este objective was the due recognition given to non-trade concerns as
all the characteristics and constraints of agriculture had to be acknowledged.
9. In concrete terms non-trade concerns are highlighted both in the preambular part and the body
of the Agreement on Agriculture.  Article 20 of the AA relating to the continuation of the reformG/AG/NG/W/36
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process in agriculture makes unambiguous reference to the need to,  inter alia , take into account non-
trade concerns before proceeding further.
10. Agriculture as outlined in this paper is a world-wide activity which spans the developed and
developing worlds.  Each country, and at times each region, has its own specificities and concerns as
regards agriculture.  Worldwide, its role goes beyond the mere production of food and fibre and coversa host of functions which underpin the socio-economic fabric of rural areas.  Increasingly, agriculture
is more and more called upon directly or indirectly to contribute to the reduction of the use of fossil
fuels thereby further contributing to the reduction of global warming.
11. As in 1986, there is strong pressure to de facto restrict the scope of negotiations in agriculture
to the economic sphere.  Such an approach would benefit a handful and be detrimental to the manyamongst which, a number of developing countries.
12. While it is a fact that non-trade concerns have been incorporated in the legal texts, some are
yet to be translated into measures more particul arly in respect of DCs.  Moreover, blind trade
liberalisation would hamper this translation exercise.  It is therefore necessary to ensure that non-trade
concerns are taken on board so that future trade negotiations are meaningful and result in an equitableoutcome.
13. This paper is therefore presented from the broad perspective of a developing country with
certain references to the case of small island states as certain of the constraints of developing countries
(DCs) are more acute in small islands.
2. THE CONTEXT
14. The interactions between agricultural systems and practices, economies, societies and the
environment are highly complex and this complexity is, and has to be, reflected in the AA.  Moreover,
the AA should be examined from a broad angle taking into account the relevant parts of the results of
the Uruguay Round as well as other commitments of sovereign nations under other multilateral
agreements, treaties, covenants or conventions.
15. The need to improve the standard of living of people is inscribed in the International Covenant
on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1966 Article 11, given hereunder, is pertinent to the issues
being considered:
• The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to an adequate standard
of living for himself and his family, including adequate food , clothing and housing, and to the
continuous improvement of living conditions .  The States Parties will take appropriate steps to
ensure the realization of this right, recognizing to this effect the essential importance of
international co-operation based on free consent.
• The States Parties to the present Covenant, recognizing the fundamental right of everyone to be
free from hunger , shall take, individually and through international co-operation, the measures,
including specific programmes, which are needed:
(a) to improve methods of production, conser vation and distribution of food by making
full use of technical and scientific knowledge, by disseminating knowledge of the principles ofnutrition and by developing or reforming agrarian systems in such a way as to achieve the most
efficient development and utilization of natural resources;G/AG/NG/W/36
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(b) taking into account the problems of both food-importing and food-exporting
countries, to ensure an equitable distribution of world food supplies in relation to need. "
Agricultural issues and in particular food availability and procurement feature prominently in this
Article of the Covenant.
16. The WTO Agreement of 1994 coming nearly twenty years later sets out similar objectives in
its first preambular paragraph:
"Recognizing that their relations in the field of trade and economic endeavour  should
be conducted with a view to raising standar ds of living, ensuring full employment and
a large and steadily growing volume of real income and effective demand, and
expanding the production of and trade in goods and services, while allowing for the
optimal use of the world 's resources  in accordance with the objective of sustainable
development, seeking both to protect and preserve the environment and to enhance
the means for doing so in a manner consistent with their respective needs and
concerns at different  levels of economic development, "
17. It is clear when reading it that the WTO does not envision trade as an end in itself but that
relations in the field of trade and economic endeavour should lead to the improvement of the general
welfare of people and the maintenance of the environment.  Such objectives had been, or are, spelt out
in other multilateral agreements.  In this sense the text of the WTO Agreement appears to have been
carefully drafted so as to avoid countries having to make commitments which would contradict their
obligations under other multilateral frameworks.
18. Para (c) of Article 20 of the AA is the one which refers to "non-trade concerns" and it also
points to the "objectives and concerns mentioned in the preamble" to the AA. In the preamble, the
relevant paragraph reads:
"Noting that commitments under the reform programme should be made in an
equitable way among all Members , having regard to non-trade concerns, including
food security and the need to protect the environment, having regard to the agreement
that special and differential treatment for developing countries is an integral element
of the negotiations, and taking into account the possible negative effects of the
implementation of the reform programme  on least developed and net food importing
developing countries, "
19. The chronology of the various legal texts mentioned above shows a movement from very
broad principles contained in the Covenant, to specific issues embodied in Article 20(c) and the
Preamble of the AA.
20. Debates on the role of agriculture did not end with the conclusion of the Uruguay Round.
Indeed, discussions in relevant fora, the FAO and th e OECD, resulted in significant policy statements.
In December 1996, the World Food Summit approved  the Rome Declaration on world food security
and World Food Summit Plan of Action.  Commitment Three reads:
"We will pursue participatory and sustainable food, agriculture, fisheries, forestry
and rural development policies and practices in high and low potential areas, which
are essential to adequate and reliable food supplies at the household, national,
regional and global levels, and combat pests, drought and desertification, consideringthe multifunctional character of agriculture. "G/AG/NG/W/36
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In fact, the Plan of Action underscores the need for "adequate food", a concept already contained in
the Covenant.
21. Para 31 under the heading "The basis for action" of Commitment Three specifies the
importance of the social and economic development of the rural sector, namely:
"The economic and social development of the rural sector is a key requisite for the
achievement of food security for all.  Rural poverty is a complex phenomenon that
varies considerably between and within countries.  The rural areas in developing
countries are generally poorly equipped in terms of technical and financial resources
and educational infrastructure.  In these areas, lack of income opportunities, failure
to crop and to maintain production systems, inadequate commodity and input and
consumer goods distribution networks, limited access to public services and the poor
quality of these services are all fundamental aspects that need to be considered with
regard to rural food security.  The main consequences of this are reflected in high
population growth and out-migration, bot h internally and to other countries. "
22. The OECD, two years later, in a Ministeria l Communiqué came up with a position on the role
of agriculture:
"Beyond its primary function of supplying food and fibre, agricultural activity can
also shape the landscape, provide environmental benefits such as land conservation,
the sustainable management of renewable natural resources and the preservation of
biodiversity, and contribute to the viability of many rural areas.  In many OECD
countries, because of the multifunctional character, agriculture plays a particularly
important role in the economic life of rural areas. "
23. The World Summit appropriately described the situation of developing countries by referring
to "high and low potential areas" in Commitment Three and highlighting the importance of the socio-
economic development of rural areas with particular reference to the constraints of DCs.  The OECD
communiqué referred to the importance of the multi functional role (which encompasses the non-trade
concerns) of agriculture in developed countries.  This communiqué never concluded nor implied, as
argued by free traders, that multifunctionality was applicable only to developed countries.
3. DIVERSITY AMONG DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
24. The developed world encompasses adepts of radical free trade advocating a "market alone
approach" as well as proponents of progressive trade liberalisation as spelt out in the "Article 20
approach". In the developing world which comprises many more countries, interests and therefore
positions are quite varied depending to a large extent  on the agricultural profiles of countries.  These
profiles are briefly outlined below. They shed light on the stance of various group or individual
developing countries' and their capacity to respond to market developments. The countries referred tobelow are for illustrative purposes.
3.1 Major exporters of commodities
25. This group comprises several countries whose agro climatic conditions enable the production
and export of several commodities.  From a multi- commodity export perspective and the positioningon the world market, the most important players of this group have similar interests as major
agricultural exporting countries of the developed world quite similar to developed countries.G/AG/NG/W/36
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26. The table below outlines the importance of two such countries, namely Argentina and Brazil
in respect of some agricultural commodities:
Table 1
Country Agricultural commodities Rank Worldwide as exporter
Argentina Soybean 3
Wheat 5(1)
Maize 3
Brazil Soybean 2
Sugar 1(1)
Thailand Rice 1
Cassava 1
Sugar 4(1)
(1) EU taken as one.
Source: FAO Statistics on commodities
27. The importance of certain countries in a particular commodity is such that they are the price
fixers.  For instance, the doubling of sugar exports of one country resulted in significant price
decreases.  The sugar industry in this country has the particular situation of being able to effect
substantial shifts between sugar and ethanol.  While these countries can export a shipload of goods
every week, certain LDCs and Small Island Developing  States have to await for a year's production so
as to fill a cargo for export.  This is particularly relevant in the case of bananas and sugar.
3.2 Large countries being more or less self sufficient
28. Such large countries have substantial agricultural population and they manage to more or less
achieve self sufficiency in most agricultural products.  Their population runs in tens of millions and
their agriculture accounts for a significant proportion of the GDP and occupies more than half of thepopulation.  The harmonious socio economic and cultural  development of rural areas is a cornerstone
of the developmental policy of such countries.
3.3 Large and medium net food-importing developing countries
29. Egypt, Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Senegal, Tunisia and Venezuela along
with nine others are in the list of net food-im porting developing countries drawn as per Article 16
(Title:  Least developed and net food-importing countries) of the AA.
3.4 Small island states
30. Six small island states (Jamaica, Mauritius, Trinidad, and Tobago, Dominican Republic,
Barbados and Saint Lucia) are also in the net food-importing developing country category. Such
islands on account of a host of reasons including, particular climatic and ecological conditions, dependG/AG/NG/W/36
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on one or at best two agricultural commodities for export. A few examples to illustrate the dependence
on certain crops:
Table 2
Countries  Commodity
Fiji, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis,
Belize, Mauritius, Dominican RepublicSugar
Dominica, St Lucia, Belize, Jamaica, Suriname, St.Vincent & the
Grenadines, Dominican Republic, GrenadaBananas
31. Most, if not all, of these countries benefit from preferential trade arrangements with developed
countries.  The proceeds from the exports are instrumental in maintaining the viability of the rural
areas.  Apart from the export commodity, the level of self-sufficiency in most food items, cereals, oil,
milk, proteins is negligible.  Consequently, these countries need resources to procure food.  In this
context, Paragraph 1 of the Rome Summit is relevant: " Food Security exists when all people, at all
times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary
needs  and food preferences  for an active and healthy life ".
3.5 LDCs
32. The last category comprises the LDCs, forty-eight in all, of which some 28 are WTO
Members.  Their predicament in agriculture is, inter alia,  characterised by the following:
• a net food-importing country status;
• a significant proportion of subsistence agriculture;
• a significant debt burden;
• the need to save valuable foreign exchange which is spent on food purchase; and
• the need to prevent disruptive outmigration from rural areas.
4. PRESENCE AND ROLE OF AGRICULTURE
33. From the dawn of history, the first activity of mankind when they started living in a structured
society has been agriculture for subsistence.  The transition from gathering food from nature or
hunting for food towards the economic activity of producing food led to agriculture and animal
rearing.  It was accompanied by organised set tlements of mankind and the beginning of human
civilisation.  The culture, tradition and history of all human civilisation across the world has been
deeply influenced by agriculture which quickly evolved from subsistence farming to barter and trade
with neighbouring communities.  The rural areas are not only production areas but also the soul of
these countries.  In the case of small islands, the establishment of a cash crop to be exported to the
colonial power was more often than not the cause of human settlement.  In this regard, sugar has beeninstrumental in the colonisation of islands in the Caribbean, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean.
34. While in certain large countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Australia, numerous crops thrive on
a large scale, this is not necessarily the case in many developing countries. The situation is quite
different in the case of small islands and small states.  Indeed, one or at best two crops have emergedG/AG/NG/W/36
Page 49
as they had a remarkable adaptability to the prevai ling ecological system which is characterised by the
yearly visits of cyclones and periods of prolonged drought.  In this regard, it is worthwhile noting that
according to the 1990 US Disaster Relief Organization Review, which took into account the economic
impact of disasters over the 1970-1990 period, there are 13 small island developing states out of the 25
most disaster prone countries.  Low lying countries are in a similar situation.
35. In para. 31 of Commitment Three of the Rome Summit, the deficiencies of the rural areas are
spelt out and the outcome namely the outmigration is highlighted.  Conversely, the harmonious
development of such areas, mainly centred around agricultural production would avoid the
deficiencies enumerated.  An example of the importance of agriculture for rural development is taken
from one island state, Mauritius.  Notwithstanding specificities, the same would apply in many similarcountries.  In Mauritius, agriculture has contained outmigration by fixing through gainful employment
in viable farming activities nearly half of the popul ation in the rural areas.  This has prevented the
social evils associated with urban overpopulati on experienced in a large number of developed and
developing countries as well as preserving the quality of life of one and all.  A dynamic and
remunerative agricultural sector built around the sugar industry has had positive welfare fall-outs forthe rural population in terms of inter-alia infrastructure development, building up of skills pool,
education, facilities for housing, health, housing estates and recreational facilities as well as having
numerous economic multiplier effects to sustain the socio-economic development of the country.
5. FOOD PROCUREMENT, THE WORLD MARKET, CROSS LINKAGES AND COSTS
OF PRODUCTION
5.1 Food Procurement
36. From a food procurement perspective the following situations are pertinent in respect of DCs:
• Self sufficiency in most major items of foodstuff. This is the case with the major exporters of
commodities.  Food procurement is not a cause of concern.
• Large agrarian countries more or less self sufficient in most foodstuffs. However, they need to
have recourse to imports in certain years and this brings about a strain on their resources.
• Large and medium net food-importing developing countries, generally exporters of cash crops and
importers of most of major food items, the level of self sufficiency is variable, from high levels to
low ones.
• Single commodity small islands and countries, chracterised by very low level of self sufficiency,
proceeds from the export of the single commodity essential for food procurement.
• LDCs with variable levels of food self sufficiency and which need both to step up production of
food and to avail themselves of further export earnings to procure food.
5.2 The world market
37. The proponents of radical trade liberalisation place considerable emphasis on the role of the
world market.  In the various arguments put forwar d, they contend that the removal of "distortions":
• would lead to a situation where prices would be determined only by supply and demand
considerations;
• would as a rule bring about an increase in prices; and
• would bring about the advent of a level playing field.G/AG/NG/W/36
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38. These assertions are not borne by facts:
• multinational companies in numerous commodities  have such a control on the production and
distribution chain that they are the price setters and their role is predominant in many commodities
originating in developing countries;
• hedge funds controlling more than 200 billion US$ (nearly seven times the value of the world
sugar production) can unduly interfere with markets;
• the control of significant proportions of the export market for numerous food commodities by one
or a small group of countries; and
• one country can by stepping up its exports influe nce the world market price, for instance, the
export by Brazil of an additional four million tonnes of sugar, more than the EU subsidisedexports, brought sugar prices to very low levels.  In 1999, 11 million tonnes of sugar exported by
Brazil represented some 64% of the residual world sugar trade of some 17 million tonnes and was
a key factor in bringing world sugars to their lowest level in a decade.
39. The world market as envisioned by some and where major players would be free to operate
according to their desiderata:
• would reduce the export revenue of most developing countries through market share loss; for
instance, in a particular commodity originating in many DCs, one single country, a DC, can
overnight displace in all markets the totality of their much needed exports; and
• would put food importers at the mercy of cartels, the net result being reductions either of food
availabilities or of food procurement capacity.  Such capacity would have been significantly
eroded through a fall in food aid and a decrease in price concessions and discounts LDCs andNFIDCs used to receive from developed countries
1.
5.3 Cross-linkages with other sectors
Linkages between agriculture and eco-tourism
40. There is today a new type of tourism emerging where agriculture plays an important role. An
environmental friendly agriculture may give a new impetus to the tourism sector. The emergence of
eco tourism, in the past recent years, is an avenue to explore for developing countries.
Linkages between agriculture and energy
41. Agriculture provides electrical energy from biomass or fuel for motor vehicles from ethanol.
Extensive research is being carried out on how to  produce fuel from colza or sunflower ("Diester"
fuel).
Linkages between agriculture and social services
42. Agriculture helps to extend health, educational and social services in rural areas.
Linkages between agriculture and technology
43. Agriculture has helped developing a network of engineering services that has fostered the
development of specialised companies and organisation that provide specialised equipment and
                                                     
1 Para 25, 2nd bullet, UNCTAD Secretariat TD/B/COM.1/EM.11/2.G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 51
services. This situation is contributing to the development of technology and favours the development
of research and development.
5.4 Cost of production
44. The freetrader countries base themselves on the cost of production concept.  These countries
usually operate on large expanses of land, benefit from economies of scale and in at least one case on
crosssubsidisation schemes (ethanol and sugar).  This is not the case for most DCs.  Indeed, this
variability has been recognised by the Rome Summ it when it refers to "high and low potential areas".
A strict economic approach is not applicable to most DCs as it would very quickly lead to the
abandonment of activity in "low potential areas".
45. In the debate on relative costs of production, the key question is what would be the cost of
producing the additional unit of product to fulfil market demand after the totality of existing surplus
capacities among the low cost producers have been exhausted.  As production moves to meet the last
unit demanded by the market, the cost of producing  to meet demand above what low cost producers
can satisfy is bound to attain higher thresholds of costs of production.  The lowest cost of production
cannot be a benchmark to produce the additional unit and more so, the last unit for which a demand
exists in the market place.
6. SCOPE OF DIVERSIFICATION
46. In a difficult economic context, the possible avenues for diversification has to be examined.
Several issues are pertinent in this regard:
• diversification in manufacturing can be constrained by one or more factors, for instance:
(a) resource scarcity;
(b) complex rules of origin which are not easy to satisfy ;
(c) frequent use of anti-dumping provisions of the relevant WTO Agreement; and
(d) increased competition arising from inter-alia, liberalisation.
• Diversification into services can be attempted but  most DCs in particular the LDCs may not have
the resources; moreover, these countries are hampered by the lack of progress of the issue of
movement of natural persons.
• In certain countries, there have been efforts to move away from food production.  Whilst this is
possible in large or medium countries, it is not feasible in small states and islands.  Indeed, the
reliance on one commodity has been brought about by the remarkable adaptability of that
commodity to the particular ecological niche.  Efforts to grow other crops on a commercial scale
have failed.
7. PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT
47. The preamble to the WTO Agreement refers to the need to "protect and preserve the
environment".
48. Article 8(h) of the Convention on Biological Diversity " each Contracting Party shall, as far
as possible and as appropriate … prevent the introduction of, control or eradicate those alien species
which threaten ecosystems, habitats or species. "G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 52
49. Whilst most countries have common concerns in terms of the main environmental  issues,
there are two issues of particular pertinence to developing countries.  The first one relates to the
protection of bio-diversity and the second one to the situation of small island developing states. Of the
seventeen megadiversity countries accounting for 70% of total global biodiversity, 13 are considered
as DCs at the WTO, amongst which, Brazil, Colomb ia, Indonesia, Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru,
Papua New Guinea, India, Malaysia, Madagascar , Democratic Republic of the Congo and the
Philippines.  (Source Muttermeier et al (1997) and Conservation International)
50. During the last 15 years, land use has changed considerably, particularly in developing
countries where deforestation resulted in a net loss of some 180 million hectares of forests between
1980 and 1995, or an average annual loss of 12 million hectares.  (Source : World Resources Institute1998).  Moreover, while deforestation is caused by several factors, including commercial logging, it
often coincides with, and is partly a result of, an expansion in agricultural land.  Deforestation often
affects virgin forests and thus has a negative impact on biodiversity.  It therefore seems that it can be
concluded that the expansion of the agricultural sector that is projected to take place in low-support
countries as a result of further liberalisation, will probably have a negative impact on biodiversity.
51. The second concern is in respect of small island states.  Para 28 of Commitment Three of the
Rome Summit raises the issue, namely:
"Small Island Developing States face the threat of land loss and erosion due to
climate changes and sea level rises and have particular needs  for their overall
sustainable development. Improvements in trade, transportation, communication,
human resources, stabilization of income and higher export earnings will increase
food security in these countries. "
52. Many DCs do not have fossil fuels and depend to a considerable extent on the importation of
such fuels.  Agricultural production in these countries has a third primary function, i.e. energy
generation in addition to the provision of food and fibre.  For instance, in Mauritius, some 300 million
kWh would be obtained from sugar cane factories through the efficient use of bagasse (fibre of cane).
The yield of the electricity generation comes to 4800 kWh/ha and could go up to 9000 kWh/ha.Several countries, Fiji and Jamaica, for instance, are embarking on projects to optimise the use of
bagasse.  Such projects allow the avoidance of car bon dioxide emission.  However, such bagasse is not
possible without a viable sugar industry.
8. MEANS TO ADDRESS NON-TRADE CONCERNS53. Ensuring that non-trade concerns are properly addressed is essential for both developing and
developed countries.
54. Annex II in its para. 1 spells out that:
"all measures for which exemption is claimed shall conform to the following basic
criteria:
• the support in question shall be provided through a publicly-funded government
programme (including government revenue foregone) not involving transfers from
consumers; and
• the support in question shall not have the effect of providing price support to
producers;
plus policy-specific criteria and conditions as set out below ... "G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 53
55. The policy-specific criteria and conditions as contained in Annex II (Domestic supports the
basis for exemption from the reduction commitments ) to the AA, commonly known as the green box,
relates to general services, (research, training, infrastructural services etc), public stockholding for
food security purposes; domestic food aid; direct payments to producers; decoupled income support;
Government financial participating in income insu rance and income safety-net programmes; payments
for relief from natural disasters; structural adjustment assistance through either producer retirement
programmes or resource retirement programmes or investment aids; payments under environmental
programmes and payments under regional assistance programmes. Concerns have been raised on the
adequacy of Annex II measures which, in any case, are not generally within the financial reach of
Governments of developing countries.G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 54/55
The need for flexibility
in national policy design
to address non-trade concerns
International Conference on Non-Trade Concerns in Agriculture
Ullensvang, Norway, 2-4 July 2000
Discussion Paper Six
Presented by NorwayG/AG/NG/W/36
Page 56
Table of Contents
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 57
1. INTRODUCTION 57
2. THE INTERNATIONAL SETTING FOR NATIONAL POLICY DESIGN 58
2.1 Trade-related commitments 58
2.2 International commitments relating to the right to food 60
3. THE DIVERSITY OF COUNTRY SITUATIONS 61
4. THE DYNAMICS OF THE AGRICULTURAL POLICY ENVIRONMENT 61
5. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE MULTILATERAL AGRICULTURAL TRADE POLICY
REFORM PROCESS 63
5.1 The need for flexibility in national policy design to address NTCs 63
5.2 Possible ways of addressing Members' need for flexibility 63
5.3 Conclusions 64G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 57
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
1. This paper examines the flexibility in national po licy design that would be required to sustain
domestic production necessary to address non-trade concerns (NTCs). While the WTO agricultural
negotiation mandate laid down in Article 20 of the Agreement on Agriculture recognises the " long-
term objective of substantial progressive reductions in support and protection ", it also lays down that
further negotiations shall take into account, inter alia,  experience gained from implementing the
existing agreement, non-trade concerns and special and differential treatment. In order to achieve the
objective to establish a fair and market-oriented agricultural trading system referred to in Article 20,
there is a need to acknowledge, inter alia,  the future coexistence of various forms of agriculture based
on each country's production conditions and potent ials and historical and cultural background.
2. The Agreement on Agriculture provides for a balanced negotiation mandate that takes into
account the interests of all Members. Also, it must be ensured that the WTO policy reform is
undertaken in a way that is consistent with other multilateral commitments. During the last 50 years, a
number of inter-national legal instruments relating to nutritional concerns and the right to food have
been developed. The ensurance of access to adequate food is the responsibility of the state.  Theproblems of both food-importing and food-exporting countries should be taken into account to ensure
an equitable distribution of world food supplies in relation to need.
3. Agriculture is facing a considerable diversity of production conditions worldwide. At the
demand side, for a number of reasons related to for instance their cultural, economic, or historical
backgrounds, countries are demanding different goods or services from their agriculture, thus giving
different weight and priority to different NTCs. At the supply side, a similar diversity exists. Such
supply side variations, across and within countries and regions, are due to, inter alia , physical and
natural conditions, social and cultural backgrounds and institutional and economic conditions.
4. Certain elements of the dynamics  characterising the agricultural policy environment, such as
for instance changes in societal priorities, production costs and economic situation, call for a long-term
perspective in multilateral trade policy reform and national policy design. It is important to ensure that
the developing countries' requests for better market access are properly addressed.  Furthermore, theflexibility in national policy design and long-term room for manoeuvre for developing countries and
economies in transition should not be reduced unduly even though many countries may not, for
different reasons, be able to take advantage of this flexibility at present.
5. In the negotiations the need for flexibility should not be a carte blanche  for any kind of
policies. For instance, it seems difficult to justify export competition measures as part of a long-term
strategy to ensure NTCs. However, given the considerable cost differentials between WTO Members,
high-cost or low-potential agricultural producing countries are unlikely to be able to sustain
production required to address NTCs by applying  Green Box measures only, without having any
impact on trade. Also, specific proposals relating to the special situation of developing countries
should be carefully considered in the continuation of the reform process.
6. To conclude, in the WTO agricultural policy reform process, all Members, both develop-ing
and developed, must be given sufficient flexibility and room for manoeuvre in national agricultural
policy design to ensure a viable domestic agricultural sector with domestic pro-duction required to
properly address NTCs. In doing so, the specific situation of each country, including national priorities
and cost differentials, must be duly taken into account.
1. INTRODUCTION
7. According to Article 20 of the Agreement on Agriculture, non-trade concerns (NTCs) should
be taken into account in the continuation of reform  process. The Preamble of the Agreement recallsG/AG/NG/W/36
Page 58
that the long-term objective " is to establish a fair and market-oriented agricultural trading system "
and notes that " commitments under the reform programme sh ould be made in an equitable way among
all Members, having regard to non-trade concerns, including food security and the need to protect the
environment; having regard to the agreement that special and differential treatment for developing
countries is an integral element of the negotiations  ... "
8. Important and legitimate NTCs are further described and discussed in Conference Papers 1-5,
focusing on NTCs such as domestic agriculture's contribution to food security, the viability of rural
areas and aspects relating to the protection of the environment and the cultural heritage. While
different countries are giving different weight and priority to the individual NTCs, their safeguarding
is considered a key priority in both developing and developed countries.
9. Based on the analysis undertaken in these papers, three conclusions can be drawn with
important implications for policy design. First, NTCs are often specific  to the agricultural sector. Most
of the actual NTCs safeguarded by agriculture cannot be provided by other sectors. Of the various
NTCs listed so far by WTO Members, the viability of rural areas is likely among the few for which
other sectors than agriculture can play, and are playing, an important role. However, in remote regionsof many developed countries or in case of developing countries with predominantly agrarian
economies, agriculture is a cornerstone whose contribution to rural employment and economic and
social viability is fundamental.
10. Second, the different NTCs often have public goods characteristics. While private goods can
be exchanged in a market, public goods are by definition lacking functioning markets. Also, the scope
for market creation seems to be limited. While market creation remains a priority, government
intervention may be justified to correct the underprovision of NTCs with public good characteristics aswell as the internalisation of externalities.
11. Third, most NTCs cannot be disassociated from the agricultural production activity itself. This
so-called joint production relationship between the different NTCs and the agricultural production
activity is complex and may relate both to certain types of input use, farming practices or technologies,
or agricultural output, as well as a combination of all these elements. For instance, as part of acountry's long-term food security, a certain degree of domestic food production may, in addition to
other factors such as stable access to world markets, be judged as essential. Therefore, continued and
sustained safeguarding of NTCs requires a viable domestic agricultural sector with agricultural
production.
12. This paper examines the flexibility in national po licy design that would be required to sustain
domestic production necessary to address NTCs.  Section Two analyses the international setting for
national policy design, as it is laid down in ex isting WTO commitments, including commitments to
further multilateral policy reforms.  Other internatio nal commitments, in particular relating to the right
to food, with relevance for the WTO policy reform process are also referred to.  In Section Three, the
considerable diversity of production conditions that agriculture is facing worldwide is discussed.
Section Four studies certain elements of the dynamics  characterising the agricultural policy
environment, which call for a long-term perspective when multilateral trade policy reform and the
flexibility required in national policy design are discussed.  Section Five examines the implications for
the multilateral trade policy reform process of the need for flexibility in national policy design.
2. THE INTERNATIONAL SETTING FOR NATIONAL POLICY DESIGN
2.1. Trade-related commitments
13. The 1994 Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture represented a milestone in the evolution
of the multilateral trading system.  It brought agricultural trade policies and relevant associatedG/AG/NG/W/36
Page 59
domestic policies within a comprehensive framework of multilateral trade disciplines, and constituted
an important element in the process of agricultural policy reform. These multilateral trade rules are a
necessary prerequisite to ensure transparency, stab ility and predictability in the world trading system
and help minimising conflicts between countries.
14. Both rights and obligations flow from a country's membership in the WTO. As a WTO
member, a country's agricultural policy needs to be in conformity with its WTO commitment, in terms
of bound ceilings of tariff protection, export subsidies and domestic support, as measured by the
Member's Aggregate Measurement of Support (AMS) or De Minimis  levels.1
15. WTO Members are committed to continuing the multilateral agricultural trade policy reform
process in accordance with Article 20 of the Agreement on Agriculture.  While the negotiationmandate laid down in Article 20 recognises the " long-term objective of substantial progressive
reductions in support and protection.. ", it also lays down that further negotiations shall take into
account inter alia experience gained from implementing the existing agreement, non-trade concerns
and special and differential treatment.
16. As stated in its title, Article 20, represents an obligation to continue the reform process, but
not necessarily finalizing it by reaching the long-term objective in the ongoing negotiations.
Moreover, the size of the reductions in support  and protection should, through negotiations, be
determined by, inter alia , the experience and effects of the existing Agreement, non-trade concerns,
special and differential treatment to developing countries and the objective to establish a fair and
market-oriented agricultural trading system, as referred to in the Article.
17. The Preamble to the Agreement on Agriculture  provides important information about the
modalities of the reform process. The objective to establish a fair and market-oriented agriculturaltrading system is referred to in Article 20 and features prominently in the Preamble.
18. In order to achieve the objective to establish a fair and market-oriented agricultural trading
system there is a need to acknowledge:
• that all countries, both exporting and importing, have legitimate interests;
• the future coexistence of various forms of agriculture based on each country's production
conditions and potentials and historical and cultural background (see Section Three);
• that the Preamble notes that " commitments under the reform programme should be made in an
equitable way among all Members, having regard to non trade concerns, including food security
and the need to protect the environment, havi ng regard to the agreement that special and
differential treatment for developing countries is an integral element of the negotiations, and
taking into account the possible negative effects of the implementation of the reform programme
on least-developed and net food-importing developing countries; ...."
• that market orientation  is not synonymous with a free market without regulations; and
• that in case of public goods (see Section One), no functioning markets exist.
                                                     
1 The exact levels of these bound ceilings are varying between  Members, as they are related to the
actual support and protection levels the Member in question had in the base years prescribed by the Agreementon Agriculture.G/AG/NG/W/36
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2.2 International commitments relating to the right to food
19. During the last 50 years, a number of intern ational legal instruments relating to nutritional
concerns and the right to food have been developed. The fundamental right of everyone to be free
from hunger is recognised.  The ensurance of access to adequate food is the responsibility of the state.The problems of both food-importing and food-exporting countries should be taken into account " to
ensure an equitable distribution of world food supplies in relation to need
2.
20. In 1948 the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which in
Article 25-1 states that everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-
being of himself and his family, including food.  The International Covenant on Economic, Social andCultural Rights (ICESCR), adopted by the UN in 1996
3, further develops the various rights expressed
in Article 25.  Article 11.1 of the Covenant reads:
The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to an
adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food ... The
State Parties will take appropriate steps to ensure the realization of this right,recognizing to this effect the essential importance of international co-operation based
on free consent.
21. The 1996 World Food Summit emphasised that access to sufficient and adequate food is a
right applying to everyone
4.  Objective 7.4 of the Plan of Action adopted by consensus at the Summit
underlines that "governments, in partnership with all actors of civil society, will, as appropriate.. make
every effort to implement the provisions of Article 11 of the ...Covenant... "
22. In accordance with Objective 7.4.e) of the Plan of Action, the UN Committee on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights5 adopted in May last year at its Twentieth Session a  General Comment  on
Article 11 in order to assist State parties in their interpretation and implementation of the provisions of
the right to adequate food. Specifically, the Committee urges States " to take into account its
international legal obligations regarding the right to food when entering into agreements with other
States or with international organizations ".  The government commitments relating to the right to food
are basically result-oriented, and the international conventions do not prescribe any specific policy
instrument.
23. To conclude, the various provisions in Article 20 and the Preamble to the Agreement on
Agriculture provide for a balanced negotiation mandate that inter alia takes into account NTCs, special
and differential treatment and the interests of all Members. Moreover, it must be ensured that theWTO policy reform is undertaken in a way that is consistent with other multilateral commitments.
                                                     
2 Article 11.2.b of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
3 At present ratified by 142 States.
4 It should be noted that the outcome of the World Food Summit consists of recommendations that do
not have any legally binding status.
5  The Monitoring Body of the  ICESCR, composed of 18 experts elected by the State Parties to the
Covenant. Declarations made by the Committee are authoritative but not binding for the State Parties.G/AG/NG/W/36
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3. THE DIVERSITY OF COUNTRY SITUATIONS
24. The analysis undertaken in Conference Papers 1-5 shows the diversity of situations, both at
the supply and demand side, that different countries are facing. At the demand side, for a number of
reasons related to for instance their cultural, economic, or historical backgrounds, countries aredemanding different goods or services from their agriculture, thus giving different weight and priority
to different NTCs.
25. For instance, predominantly agrarian countries or countries with few alternative employment
opportunities for their rural populations, tend to put more emphasis on agriculture as a rural
employment generator than countries for which their rural population can relatively easily find jobs inother sectors. Moreover, regions with low population densities tend to put more emphasis on
decentralised settlement policies. Furthermore, in countries in which farming has been an economic
activity since ancient times, agriculture makes important contributions to biodiversity and cultural
heritage. A third example is the issue of food security, which is approached differently in net food-
importing versus - exporting countries. A fourth example relates to certain environmental and foodsafety issues, for which consumer sensitivity various between countries.
26. At the supply side, world agriculture is facing a considerable diversity of production
conditions. Such supply side variations, across and within countries and regions, are due to physical
and natural conditions (e.g. climate, soils and topography), social and cultural backgrounds (e.g.
agrarian structure) and institutional and economic conditions (e.g. infrastructure and labour costs).
27. As a result of this considerable diversity of production conditions, agricultural production
costs vary substantially within and across countries .  For instance, according to independent economic
surveys, in the OECD area, costs in dairy production can be as much as 6-7 times lower in the most
efficient production countries, compared with high cost production countries.
6
28. Many developing countries, due to for instance poor soils, difficult climatic conditions (e.g.
low and erratic rainfall), small farms, poor infrastructure and limited access to new technologies are
facing production costs above world average. These cost differentials contribute to determining towhat extent the various WTO Members are able to compete or not in world agricultural markets.
29. As continued and sustained safeguarding of NTCs requires a viable domestic agricultural
sector with agricultural production, and as the production conditions in agriculture vary considerably
among Members, standard solutions not adapted to this diversity of country situations are not likely to
work. In the ongoing WTO agricultural policy reform process, in order to properly address NTCs, dueconsideration must therefore be given to the different situations in Member countries.
4. THE DYNAMICS OF THE AGRICULTURAL POLICY ENVIRONMENT
30. Due to the bound character of the WTO commitments, Members should take a long-term
perspective in WTO negotiations, giving due consideration to possible future changes in the
agricultural policy environment.
                                                     
6 Data from the Norwegian Agricultural Economics Research Institute and the International Farm
Comparison Network (IFCN). IFCN is a world-wide network of actively participating scientists, advisors,farmers and representatives of agricultural organisations with the Institute of Farm Economics, Federal
Agricultural Research Centre, Germany, as focal point, see
http://www.fal.de/english/institutes/bw/ifcn/html/ifcnhome.html.G/AG/NG/W/36
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31. For many developing countries improved market access for the agricultural exports is a vital
dynamic force.  Improved access to the markets of industrialised countries is a major concern for the
developing countries in the WTO negotiations.  This applies particularly to agricultural products,
textiles and clothing.  For a large number of developing countries the agricultural sector is a major
contributor to their gross domestic product and an important source of employment. Improved accessfor their agricultural exports will provide opportunities for increased production and profitability.  This
in turn can be an essential "engine of growth" for private sector development by also increasing
opportunities for improvements in important supply side factors such as infrastructure, access to
technology and choice of production methods.  Improvements in socio-economic factors such as
health and education can be other important spin-off effects.
32. To developing countries it is important to further develop a competitive agricultural sector and
diversify agricultural exports by moving from a concentration on exports of raw materials to a larger
extent of exports of processed food products.  Countries may therefore choose to grant, inter alia ,
specifically targeted incentives and supports to th e agricultural sector in order to move into more
value-added industries.  They may also need to improve related supply side constraints.  Througheconomic development such support should be gradually faced out as competitiveness and profitability
increase (the "infant-industry" argument).
33. In addition, it has been pointed out that several other elements may influence a Member's
long-term need for flexibility in national agricultural policy design. First, socio-economic priorities
may change in the process of economic development or as a result of external factors.  For instance,
society's demand for environmental services related to agriculture may increase.  Furthermore,
uncontrolled urbanisation may increase the focus on rural development and agriculture as a ruralemployment generator. External supply shocks and reduced food availability may in turn result in
increased focus on domestic agricultural production, as was the case in Korea and Indonesia during
and after the Asian financial crisis. The future demand for public goods, such as environmental
services, rural employment and food security, may therefore change with subsequent changes in the
need to safeguard domestic agricultural production.
34. Second, in developing countries, production costs, inter alia  related to labour, may increase as
a result of general economic growth and development.  Under such circumstances, some countries
with difficult production conditions and marginal ar eas, may in the future face increased need for
support and protection, if domestic production is to be sustained and improvements in efficiency and
production methods have not been sufficient to offset the increase in production costs.
35. Third, in the agricultural sector, many countries may at present apply tariff rates that are
below their bound tariff ceilings. However, according to their commitments, these countries have
flexibility to increase applied rates up to the bound tariff ceilings.
36. Fourth, due to budgetary constraints, a number of developing countries and economies in
transition, may be unable to take advantage of the flexibility they may have at present according totheir WTO commitments. However, in the future, thes e countries may improve their financial situation
and thus their capacity for further developments of the production and trade of agricultural products.
37. To conclude, the dynamics  of the agricultural policy environment should be recognised.
When undertaking multilateral trade policy reform, it is important to ensure that the developing
countries' requests for better market access are properly addressed.  Furthermore, the flexibility andlong-term room for manoeuvre for developing countries and economies in transition should not be
reduced unduly even though many countries may not, for different reasons, be able to take advantage
of this flexibility at present.G/AG/NG/W/36
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5. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE MULTILATERAL AGRICULTURAL TRADE POLICY
REFORM PROCESS
5.1 The need for flexibility in nation al policy design to address NTCs
38. There is a broad consensus among WTO Members that NTCs are legitimate and valid
concerns for all Members. Based on Conference Papers 1-5 it can be concluded that continued and
sustained safeguarding of NTCs requires a viable domestic agricultural sector with agricultural
production. In Section Three we noted the diversity of country situations that exists, both with respect
to priorities and production conditions. In Section Four the dynamical dimension of agriculturaldevelopment was recognised.
39. This implies that multilaterally agreed solutions should allow for enough flexibility for
adaptation to specific conditions and to the changing needs that characterise agricultural development.
WTO policy reform should therefore not be based on a one-size-fits-all -approach. Due consideration
must be given to the heterogeneity and diversity of country situations in order to ensure sufficientflexibility and room for manoeuvre to address NTCs in all WTO Member countries also in the future.
40. In the negotiations the need for flexibility should not be a carte blanche  for any kind of
policies. For instance, it seems difficult to justify export measures as part of a long-term strategy to
ensure NTCs. Given the considerable cost differentials that exist between WTO Members, high-cost
low-potential agricultural producing countries are unlikely to be able to sustain production required to
address NTCs by applying Green Box measures only, without having any impact on trade.
5.2 Possible ways of addressing Members ' need for flexibility
General considerations
41. As pointed to Section Three, there are two major reasons why a "world-market-only" scenario,
in which all production-related policy measures (i.e. for instance AMS or De Minimis  support and
border protection) have been replaced by green box support, is not sufficient in the long run. First,
available data clearly indicate that in several c ountries a "world-market-only" scenario is unlikely to
provide sufficient financial incentives to farmers to continue production in the long run.7 Second,
extensive detailed targeting of measures directly to a number of NTC-related criteria that would be
necessary to safeguard NTCs under a "world-market-only" scenario, would in many cases be difficultand involve high administration and control costs.
42. Several WTO Members seem at present to have a reasonable level of flexibility in their WTO
commitments, in terms of AMS and tariff protection. In their case, the challenge in the negotiations
would be to maintain the flexibility necessary to safeguard NTCs in the long-term, in accordance with
the objective to establish a fair and market-oriented agricultural trading system. Some developingcountries and economies in transition have noted that their bound support and protection levels in the
agricultural area have proved to be insufficient.
Special aspects relating to the situation of developing countries
43. Below are presented some proposals relating to the special situation of developing countries
that could be considered in the continuation of the reform process. Given the special situation of
                                                     
7 For instance, in Norway, with world market prices only, production revenues would only cover 30-
41% of total production costs, which is not sufficient.G/AG/NG/W/36
Page 64
developing countries the various provisions on special and differential treatment of the existing
Agreement on Agriculture should be further developed in the areas of market access, domestic
support, export competition and technical assistance.
44. First, developing countries, in particular least-developed and net-food importing, should be
granted improved market access, not only to markets of developed countries, but possibly also tomarkets of other developing countries, in particular of those that are somewhat more developed. Of
course, tariff concessions granted to developing countries must be considered in conjunction with
overall tariff concessions.
45. Conference Paper 5 highlights agriculture's contributions to economic development in
developing countries. Many of these developing countries rely on agricultural exports, often as part ofpreferential market access schemes. It is therefore of particular importance to ensure continued and
improved market access for products originating in these countries, especially the least-developed and
net food-importing of them.
46. Second, developing countries may need continued protection of their own agricultural
markets, in order to safeguard food security and other non-trade concerns and foster economicdevelopment. One may therefore consider whether tariff reductions undertaken by developing
countries should be undertaken in a different manner compared to other Members. One may also
consider to what extent the least-developed countries should continue to be exempt from tariff
reductions. Furthermore, in cases in which present rules and commitments do not provide sufficient
leeway and protection against sudden import surges one may consider extending the right to have
recourse to the special safeguard provisions of the Agreement on Agriculture to net-food importing
developing countries and least-developed countries not having this possibility at present.
47. Third, as regards domestic support, an increase of the De Minimis  levels and the inclusion into
the Green Box of additional measures adapted to the specific situation in developing countries could
be considered.
48. Fourth, increased technical assistance to developing countries is necessary as the policy
reform process proceeds. The Ministerial Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negative
Effects of the Reform Programme on Least-Developed and Net Food-Importing Developing Countries
should be effectively implemented.  Furthermore, one should work towards reaching agreement on
commitments for the provision of financial and technical assistance relating to the Decision as well as
to trade-related capacity-building and trade-facilitating measures.
5.3. Conclusions
49. To conclude, in the WTO agricultural policy reform process, all Members, both developing
and developed, must be given sufficient flexibility and room for manoeuvre in national agricultural
policy design to ensure a viable domestic agricultural sector with domestic production required to
properly address NTCs. In doing so, the specific situation of each country, including national prioritiesand cost differentials, must be duly taken into account.
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