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Subsidies and GM crops back on food policy menu
JOHANNESBURG, 9 April 2013 (IRIN) – Food has become expensive and seems set to stay that way, so growing more of it has become both a necessity and an attractive investment. But the trend has also put contentious issues like agricultural subsidies and genetically modified (GM) crops on the menu once again.
IRIN talked to some of the leading food security experts on the emerging issues highlighted in, among other new reports, the 2012 Global Food Policy Reportby the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
Subsidies are back
Countries like Malawi, caught in a trap of cyclical droughts, have provided subsidized fertilizer to boost food production but have come under attack for promoting unsustainable support to their farmers. “The position of donors on fertilizer subsidies is quite scandalous, given what is happening in their own countries,” says Peter Hazell, a leading agriculture expert who has worked with the World Bank and IFPRI.
A drought in the US and fluctuating food prices have led policy-makers there and in the European Union (EU) to rethink protection and support for their farmers.
The US Farm Bill governs agriculture policy and is updated every four years, but the 2008 legislation was extended to September 2013. The proposed bill recommends an expanded insurances programme with new crop insurance subsidies so farmers receive money when income from certain crops falls below a targeted level, and sets target prices for crops that trigger payments when revenues fall for several consecutive years at much higher levels than before…
@IRIN Global | Subsidies and GM crops back on food policy menu | Global | Children | Economy | Environment | Food Security | Gender Issues | Governance | Health & Nutrition:
2013-04-09 19:31:00
Source: http://gmopundit.blogspot.com/2013/04/subsidies-and-gm-crops-back-on-food.html
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