A Healthy U.S. Farm Policy in a Globalized World

A healthy U.S. farm policy would reduce the negative effects of current policy on farmers in developing countries and do more to make healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, available to a world battling growing obesity problems. The farm bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in July did little to address these concerns, and instead maintained generous subsidies for a small number of large operators growing a handful of crops and ignored American commitments under international trade agreements. The U.S. Senate will tackle the farm bill later this fall and in order to stimulate debate on what a healthy farm policy might look like, this event featured a key House agricultural policy reform advocate, as well as experts on trade, development, nutrition, and health to discuss the international implications of the pending legislation and food and agriculture policy.

Panel One: U.S. Farm Policy, Trade, and Development included Ousmane Badiane, Senior Research Fellow and Africa Coordinator, IFPRI, Kimberly Elliott, Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development and Peterson Institute, and was moderated by Rachel Nugent, Senior Program Associate, Center for Global Development.
Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI) gave the Keynote Address on "Reforming US Farm Policy."

Panel Two: Creating a Healthy Global Food Supply included David Beckmann, President, Bread for the World, Barry Popkin, The Carla Smith Chamblee Distinguished Professor of Global Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Rachel Nugent, Senior Program Associate, Center for Global Development and was moderated by Kimberly Elliott, Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development and Peterson Institute.

• Download Ousmane Badiane's presentation (pdf, 77K)
• Download Kimberly Elliott's slides (pdf, 22K)
• Download Rachel Nugent's presentation (pdf, 878K)
• Download Barry Popkin's presentation (pdf, 742K)