Enhancing Food Security: The WTO's Role in in Supporting Innovation
and Sustainable Growth in Agricultural Productivity

Communication from the United States

The following communication, dated 9 November 2023, is being circulated at the request of the delegation of the United States.

_______________

1.1.  WTO Members recognize the importance of food security to global and national economic prosperity, security, and political stability. Challenges to advancing food security are prevalent throughout agri-food systems. The challenges of growing populations, continuing conflicts, and growing negative impacts of climate change, among others, cannot be minimized as we strive to enhance food security, which will require more resilient and sustainable agri-food systems.

1.2.  The Organization of Economic Cooperative Development (OECD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimate that average global agricultural productivity must increase at a rate triple of that recorded over the last decade in order to achieve the 2030 Zero Hunger target while simultaneously keeping agricultural emissions on track to meet the Paris Agreement targets. To achieve these targets, one cannot rely solely on past methods to boost agricultural productivity. Instead, we must continue to find ways to increase agricultural productivity in a sustainable manner that will create more resilient agri-food systems to enhance long-term food security and address short-term food crises. This global challenge of increasing sustainable agricultural productivity will require coordination and cooperation across the international community and will need to include leveraging public and private investments to support research and development of science-based innovative approaches and technologies, promoting knowledge and experience sharing, encouraging capacity building, developing and implementing science-based regulatory regimes, and utilizing the multilateral rules-based trading system.

1.3.  The US submission of 27 March 2023 stated that the World Trade Organization (WTO) can play a critical and unique role in enhancing food security.[1] By focusing on using trade rules that complement the food security initiatives of other international organizations, the WTO can enhance food security by promoting the safe and reliable trade of food, innovation in sustainable agri-food systems through Members' adoption of science-based regulatory regimes, and the advancement of economic growth and sustainable development goals.

1.4.  This submission explores the roles of WTO Members and the WTO in trade and trade rules to promote sustainable agricultural productivity growth, including through the use of innovative tools and technologies, to enhance food security.