Agricultural Policies

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Rising Food Prices, Poverty, and the Doha Round

Carnegie publication (2008)

This paper examines the issues at stake in the Doha Round in light of rising food prices and their impact on global poverty. It first reviews the causes of high food prices, emphasizing those that are susceptible to action by governments. The author then presents recent evidence on how food prices affect the poor and concludes that, although many poor households will require urgent assistance, more are likely to gain from rising prices than lose. She argues that the Doha Round must allow developing countries adequate policy flexibility so that they can build up their own agricultural sectors, increase food supply in the medium and long term, and shield the poor from market failures that can affect their very survival.

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