Agricultural Policy

Ask CFR Experts

Should we be worried about China's genetic manipulation of food?

Asked by Matthias Tindemans

In 2012, China imported nearly 60 million tons of soybeans, most of which were genetically modified. In that sense, even if GM foods are found to have any long-term hazards, one probably should not worry too much about only China's GM foods, but about those from all countries, including the United States, the largest producer and consumer of GM foods.

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Op-Ed

Putting Rich Farmers First

Author: David G. Victor
Newsweek

Rising food prices offer the United States an opportunity to wean farmers off lavish subsidies.  However, as David Victor argues in this Newsweek article, the U.S Congress has been doing just the opposite by passing legislation that will heap even more cash on farmers. 

See more in Agricultural Policy; Food Security; Global

Other Report

Food Price Inflation: Explanation and Policy Implications

Author: Karen H. Johnson

The sharp run-up in food prices has triggered riots in several countries and threatened to push millions of people below the poverty line. In this Center for Geoeconomic Studies Working Paper, Karen H. Johnson explains the causes and likely future course of food-price inflation and analyzes the implications for central banks, trade negotiators, and agricultural policy.

See more in Food Security; Agricultural Policy; Global

Op-Ed

Rice and Baloney

Author: Sebastian Mallaby
Washington Post

We are now several months into the global food crisis. Food prices have almost doubled in three years, threatening to push 100 million people into absolute poverty, undoing much of the development progress of the past few years. The new hunger has triggered riots from Haiti to Egypt to Ethiopia, threatening political stability; it has conjured up a raft of protectionist policies, threatening globalization. Yet, Sebastian Mallaby argues that the response to this crisis from governments the world over has been lackadaisical or worse.

See more in Food Security; Agricultural Policy; Global