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Strengthening Sector Policies for Better Food Security and Nutrition Results: Trade. Policy Guidance Note 9
Trade in agricultural products is expected to continue to increase over the coming decades and will therefore influence the extent and nature of food security and nutrition across all regions of the world. The challenge is how to ensure that the expansion of agricultural trade works for, and not against, the elimination of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition.
Trade policies affect levels of agricultural trade, which in turn affect availability of food in domestic markets, food prices and incomes, along with other important variables that ultimately affect food security and nutrition outcomes. The impact of trade policies on various aspects of food security and nutrition has given rise to intense debates at the national and global levels and has become central to many trade-related discussions and negotiations.
This guidance note aims to support policy-makers and agriculture sector stakeholders in promoting greater coherence between trade and agricultural policies. It articulates the linkages between trade and the four dimensions of food security, focusing on the sources of risks and potential benefits of an expansion in trade. The note also discusses the appropriateness of different trade and related policy measures in improving food security at different stages of development. Then it addresses the overarching question of how to enhance coherence of trade policies with food security objectives.
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