But the playing field has always been unlevel. How coulddeveloping countries compete with America’s subsidies andguarantees?

This has created an unlevel playing field in which subsidies of developed countries act as a disincentive to agricultural production in developing countries.

However, this proposal does make some concrete suggestions for steps towards changing the WTO Agreement on Agriculture so that it meets the food security needs of the developing countries and evens out the unlevel playing field that currently exists.

However, the proposal does make some concrete suggestions for steps towards changing the WTO Agreement on Agriculture so that it meets the food security needs of the developing countries and evens out the unlevel playing field that currently exists.

Developed countries have been slower to liberalize agriculture, despite provisions made under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture to create a level playing field in the agricultural trading system in terms of market access, export subsidies and domestic support.58 Agriculture has continued to be protected and supported in many developed economies, while developing countries have had to liberalize under structural adjustment programmes (removing all subsidy support as well as drastically reducing import barriers to food imports well beyond what is formally required under WTO liberalization).59 This has created an unlevel playing field in which subsidies of developed countries act as a disincentive to agricultural production in developing countries.60 In addition, under the WTO rules, it is almost impossible to reverse liberalization measures, even if they have had a disastrous impact on local-level food security.