Yet, these policies affect some people differently than others. Farmers are not a homogeneous group, and neither are consumers.
Some farmers operate under high debt or produce for subsistence and live a tenuous existence.
Similarly, some of the world's consumers spend a small percentage of their income on food and eat large amounts, while others can barely making their daily nutritional requirements and experience frequent hunger. Globally, the liberalization of agriculture is threatening the livelihoods of millions, especially the most vulnerable rural populations in the world's poorest countries. Here in the United States, some agribusinesses and traders are benefiting immensely, while US farm policies are forcing small farmers to lose their land or to work additional jobs to survive. The WTO's rules are not causing these problems single-handedly, but they are an increasingly important factor. At the end of the Uruguay Round, the parties to the GATT met in Marrakesh, Morocco, to finalize the negotiations.