Please join us September 30, 2015 for the first WatFIG meeting of the academic year. The meeting will be held from 12pm to 1:30pm in EV1-221 and include networking, introductions and an informal presentation by Professor Jennifer Clapp.
Navigating the global food fight: Trade, food security and battle for policy space
Is trade a threat or an opportunity for global food security? Does it foster more sustainable food systems that provide meaningful livelihoods, or does it undermine these goals? These questions are currently generating heated debates in international trade negotiations and are a major point of contention at the World Trade Organization (WTO). Some press for trade liberalization as the only way to guarantee sustainable food security for all. But others see danger in fully open markets for food and agriculture, and call for greater policy space to enable governments to pursue food security measures without fear of contravening trade rules. In this talk, Jennifer Clapp provides a critical assessment of the arguments on both sides of this debate. Her analysis reveals that ideas about the relationship between trade and food security intersect with interests in complex ways and tend to reinforce binary understandings of these issues. The showdown over trade and food security at the WTO illustrates these dynamics. Clapp makes the case that the current impasse over this issue is detrimental and offers insights into how the opposing sides in this debate might move policy forward in constructive ways.
Please feel free to bring your lunch. See you there!