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The political economy of reforming costly agricultural policies

May 1st, 2023 • by DANIELLE RESNICK, ROB VOS AND WILL MARTIN

Agricultural support policies provide over $800 billion per year in transfers worldwide. Such policies encompass a broad range of government instruments to support the agriculture sector, which are typically funded from taxpayers and consumers. These include “coupled” subsidies intended to incentivize producers to expand output, “decoupled subsidies” that avoid shifting production incentives, and market-price support measures such as tariff and non-tariff barriers.

Price Insulation And Global Wheat Markets

Mar 27th, 2023 • by S. Gustafson

The real global price of food surged in 2022, reaching well above the previous peak seen in the 2011 food price crisis. While prices declined somewhat in July 2022, they remain alarmingly high, and some countries have enacted policies, such as export bans, to try to rein in prices on their domestic markets.

Food, Fertilizer Prices Decline in February

Mar 8th, 2023 • by S. Gustafson

The FAO Food Price Index continued to drop slightly in February, reaching almost 19 percent below its March 2022 peak. This represents the eleventh consecutive month of decline.