   
  
JOB/CTG/25, JOB/AG/241  
JOB/MA/160, JOB/SPS/28  
JOB/TBT/501, JOB/COMTD/1, JOB/TF/233  
 
27 March 2023  
(23-2180) Page: 1/3 
Council for Trade in Goods  
Committee on Agriculture  
Committee on Agriculture, Special Session  
Committee on Market Access  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  
Committee on Trade and Development  
Committee on Trade Facilitation  Original: English  
 
THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION 'S ROLE IN ENHANCING FOOD SECURITY  
COMMUNICATION FROM THE UNITED STATES  
The following communication, dated 27 March 2023, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of the United States . 
 
_______________  
 
 
INTRODUCTION  
1. The world faces an acute challenge of ensuring food security for all people, for current and 
future generations, while also assuring economic viability and resilience for all those involved in food 
supply chains. Vital work aimed at addressing this challen ge is underway in various fora and 
international organizations, with each organization contributing in its own areas of competency. 
These organizations, along with governments and the private sector, are developing or facilitating 
the development of innova tive approaches and technologies to achieve multiple objectives. Such 
objectives include: ensuring food security, improving the livelihoods of farmers and those involved 
in agricultural supply chains, sustaining agricultural productivity growth, climate ch ange resiliency, 
and long -term agricultural sustainability.  
 
2. Trade and transparent, predictable, open markets are vital components in addressing each 
dimension of food security (i.e., availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability). The WTO 
agreements have a proven track -record of improving the global food security landscape through 
their core principles and promotion of strong, rules -based trading and science -based regulatory 
systems.   
 
3. To further bolster food security worldwide, WTO Members must focus their efforts on 
addressing each dimension of food sec urity through trade and trade rules in ways that complement 
the initiatives of other international organizations. Furthermore, WTO Members ' efforts should look 
to build long -term food security resilience through the promotion of policies that encourage mor e 
sustainable and efficient agricultural production, particularly in the context of severe challenges 
related to climate change.  
 
ENHANCING FOOD SECURITY THROUGH TRADE  
Trade and the Movement of Food  
4. Trade makes food more affordable and available. Open glob al markets allow food to move 
from food surplus regions to food deficit regions, which stabilizes markets by reducing the risk of 
food scarcity in domestic markets and mitigating food price volatility in both domestic and global 
markets. Only a small fract ion of WTO Members produce more calories than they consume, and even 
these Members rely on trade for a varied and nutritious diet – a key component of food security. JOB/CTG/25 • JOB/AG/241 • JOB/MA/160 • JOB/SPS/28 • JOB/TBT/501 • JOB/COMTD/1 •  
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  Furthermore, an open trading system allows for diversified food supply sourcing and allows  firms 
along the food supply chain to adapt rapidly when specific food sources are disrupted. Here, WTO 
rules and discussions can enhance food security by ensuring Members do not unnecessarily restrict 
the flow of food and have policies in place to facilit ate trade at the border.  
Trade and Innovations  
5. Science -driven regulatory regimes, coupled with open markets, incentivize innovation. New 
technologies and innovative approaches  are necessary to help farmers overcome the challenges they 
face in order to achi eve the sustainable productivity growth necessary to feed the world. These 
innovations include not only cutting -edge technological advancements in soil, seed, pest, and farm 
management, but also innovative managerial and operational approaches to farming, including those 
utilizing digital technologies. In addition, new technologies and innovative practices will not be one -
size-fits-all; innovations need to be tailored to regional differences and contexts. Here, WTO -based 
work can help enhance food security by encouraging scientifically -sound regulatory schemes and 
open markets, which will in turn encourage investment in innovation, promote adoption of new 
technologies and approaches, and facilitate the trade of products produced with new methods. If 
entrepre neurs do not see global market potential for products produced with new approaches or 
technologies, the necessary investments will not be made to develop them. Importantly, WTO 
Members must refrain from requiring others to adopt their approaches to agricul tural production 
(e.g., use or prohibition of specific innovations or approaches) as a condition of trade, as this would 
set back global efforts to improve agricultural sustainability and food security.  
 
Trade and Development  
6. Open markets, governed by a ru les-based trading system, and new innovations have provided 
opportunities for economic growth that have expanded and furthered Members ' development goals. 
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, "global agri -food trade 
has more than doubled since [the WTO 's creation in] 1995, amounting to USD 1.5 trillion in 2018, 
with emerging and developing countries ' exports on the rise and accounting for over one -third of 
the world 's total ".1 Vulnerable groups, particularly those who r ely on agricultural production for 
income, including in least -developed and net food -importing  developing countries, can benefit from 
access to global markets, particularly when support is provided to ensure necessary infrastructure 
is in place to facilita te trade and to access new innovations. Here, the WTO agreements ' core function 
of facilitating global trade can support a more inclusive approach that will contribute to reducing 
poverty and enhancing food security.   
 
ENHANCING FOOD SECURITY THROUGH SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION  
7. The food security challenge is p articularly complex given the need to produce sufficient food 
for a growing world population with a finite resource base that is increasingly impacted by climate 
change. Researchers have already detected the disruptive impacts of climate change on agricult ural 
production and productivity growth.2 Just as farmers and producers need policies that help them 
adapt to shocks from market upheaval and variable weather, they also need policies that empower 
them to transition to more sustainable production practice s. However, well -intentioned policies, 
whether aimed at ensuring farmers ' livelihoods, enhancing food security, or incentivizing sustainable 
production methods, if not well constructed, may have unintended negative or counterproductive 
effects while delive ring limited benefits. Here, the WTO as a multilateral deliberative forum can help 
find ways of encouraging policies that support sustainable agricultural practices, while discouraging 
those policies that result in over -production, overuse or misallocation  of resources, market 
distortions, or other negative impacts, environmental or otherwise.  
NEXT STEPS  
8. WTO Members must ensure that trade rules for agricultural products contribute to global food 
security in the short -, medium -, and long -term. This will req uire continued promotion of trade and 
creating an environment that encourages and safeguards practices and innovations that will build 
 
1 For more information see: https://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1309369/icode/ . 
2 Ortiz-Bobea, A., T. Ault, C. Carrillo, R. Chambers, and D. Lobell. 2021. "Anthropogenic Climate Change 
Has Slowed Global Agricultur al Productivity Growth ". Nature Climate Change 11: 306 –12. JOB/CTG/25 • JOB/AG/241 • JOB/MA/160 • JOB/SPS/28 • JOB/TBT/501 • JOB/COMTD/1  • 
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  long term agricultural sustainability. The WTO framework across agreements (e.g., the Agreement 
on Agriculture, the Agree ment on Trade Facilitation, the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, 
and the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures) provides a sound 
basis for this. Strong adherence to WTO agreements will continue to be a vital component  in 
enhancing food security. In addition, progress toward the Agreement on Agriculture 's long -term 
objective of substantial progressive reductions in support and protection remains critical to further 
promoting trade and incentivizing policies that allow  farmers and producers to produce more food in 
more sustainable ways . Many WTO agreements contain disciplines that, when effectively 
implemented, can support and facilitate our collective food security goals.  
 
9. In this context, the United States believes tha t WTO Members should consider the various 
ways in which they can meet domestic and global food security objectives, including through 
effective and complete implementation of the WTO agreements. Further, WTO Members should 
undertake science - and evidenced -based discussions, including in the context of the agricultural 
reform process, in order to adopt market -oriented, trade -facilitating, equitable, and inclusive 
approaches that empower farmers to sustainably feed the world.   
 
10. As part of this process, WTO M embers should leverage the work of other relevant international 
organizations and share their experiences regarding efforts to enhance food security, including 
through policies that promote agricultural sustainability. The United States plans to make addit ional 
WTO submissions regarding ways to enhance global food security and looks forward to future 
discussions on this important topic among WTO Members.  
 
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