Staff Reporter :
A side event at the WTO Public Forum 2024, held in Geneva, has spotlighted the urgent need for reform in international agricultural trade rules to better support small-scale farmers.
The event, titled “Trade Rules for Supporting Small-Scale Farming as Contributors to Green Trade in Agriculture,” was jointly organised by the COAST Foundation from Bangladesh and Humundi from Belgium on Tuesday, according to a press release.
Key speakers, including government officials, NGO representatives, and researchers, stressed the vital role of small-scale farmers in global sustainability initiatives. They also highlighted the disproportionate impact of climate change and environmental degradation on these farmers.
Ogwuche Sunday, Senior Counsellor with Nigeria’s Mission to the WTO, stressed the importance of small-scale farmers in Nigeria’s agricultural output, while pointing out their lack of technological support. “They are the heart of agricultural production, yet they are sidelined in trade discussions,” Sunday remarked.
Jonas Jaccard, Policy Officer at Humundi, raised concerns over the financial distress faced by small-scale European farmers, worsened by current WTO subsidy rules. “The EU, a major negotiator in WTO agricultural agreements, is not addressing the price falls impacting these farmers, which are exacerbated by unfair subsidy rules,” Jaccard explained.
Helene Bank, Board Leader of Handelskampanjen (The Trade Campaign) from Norway, criticised existing trade policies for neglecting the local knowledge and resourcefulness of small-scale farmers. “These farmers are suffering not from a lack of financing but from inadequate policies that fail to support their expertise and local practices,” Bank argued.
Ranja Sengupta, Senior Researcher and Head of TWN India Trust, addressed the shortcomings of the WTO’s Agreement on Agriculture, which she said has failed to promote sustainability in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “The Agreement on Agriculture has not lived up to its mandate. The opportunity to incorporate Public Stockholding as a solution was ignored,” Sengupta noted.
Barkat Ullah Maruf of COAST Foundation, who moderated the session, emphasised the gap between technological advancements and the practical needs of the agricultural sector. “Despite technological progress, we cannot download food. Farmers need to produce it. The WTO’s agricultural rules must evolve to support small-scale farmers to ensure sustainability and food security,” Maruf asserted.