Book Review
Introduction
In Part 6 of Manifestos on the Future of Food and Seed we learn that: “This section provides specific principles and suggestions for changes in the rules of the WTO so that they are consistent with the goals of the commission.” “The goal of these proposed global trade rules is to promote a more sustainable and equitable economic system by strengthening democratic control of trade and stimulating food and agricultural systems, industries, and services that benefit local communities, and re-diversifying local and national economies.”
MANIFESTOS ON THE FUTURE OF FOOD AND SEED
EDITED BY VANDANA SHIVA
SOUTH END PRESS 2007
PART VI
THE MANIFESTOS
Chapter 5: Manifesto on the Future of Food (Cont)
PART THREE
LIVING ALTERNATIVES TO INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE
On every continent, communities are awakening to the devastating effects of corporate-driven food and farming systems that have turned agriculture into an extractive industry and food into a major health hazard. These movements are restoring food, farming, and community values. These movements are restoring food and food production to their proper places in culture and nature after a devastating estrangement that stands as an aberration in the human experience.
Here we only have sufficient space to hint at the breakthroughs these movements have made in the past several decades. The fact that few of these changes could have been predicted should give pause to anyone who now argues that industrial agriculture is the inevitable way forward. Change – very rapid change – is possible. Indeed, it is underway. The following are a few of the areas where circumstances are rapidly changing:
DEMOCRATIZING ACCESS TO LAND
DEMOCRATIZING ACCESS TO CREDIT
RE-LINKING CITY AND COUNTRY, CONSUMER AND GROWER
CREATING A RIGHT TO GOOD FOOD
ORGANIC AND ECOLOGICAL FARMING IS SPREADING
PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY
ENSURING FAIR PRICES FOR PRODUCERS
MAKING CORPORATIONS ACCOUNTABLE TO DEMOCRACY
AGRICULTURE BEYOND MARKET FUNDAMENTALISM
PART FOUR
TRADE RULES TO ACHIEVE THE AIMS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE FUTURE OF FOOD
This section provides specific principles and suggestions for changes in the rules of the WTO so that they are consistent with the goals of the commission.
Current WTO trade rules have forced the continuous lowering of tariffs and other barriers that formerly protected the domestic economies of member nations. These more open borders have resulted in social and economic conditions that are detrimental to the majority, but to the benefit of larger corporations. To achieve the aims of the commission, we advocate that these WTO rules must be replaced by new trade rules, to achieve the following goals:
PERMIT TARIFFS & IMPORT QUOTAS THAT FAVOR SUBSIDARITY
REVERSE THE PRESENT RULES ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & PATENTING
LOCALIZE FOOD REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS
ALLOW FARMERS MARKETING-SUPPLY MANAGEMENT BOARDS
ELIMINATING DIRECT EXPORT SUBSIDIES & PAYMENTS FOR CORPORATIONS
RECOGNIZE & ELIMINATE THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF WTO MARKET ACCESS RULES
PROMOTE REDISTRIBUTIVE LAND REFORM
CONCLUSION
SUMMARY OF TADE-RULE CHANGES TOWARD ACHIEVING A SUSTAINABLE AND MORE EQUITABLE WORLD
The goal of these proposed global trade rules is to promote a more sustainable and equitable economic system by strengthening democratic control of trade and stimulating food and agricultural systems, industries, and services that benefit local communities, and re-diversifying local and national economies.
Protective barriers should be introduced to enable countries to attain self-sufficiency in food, where feasible, with long-distance trade primarily focused on providing food that cannot be grown in the country or region.
Quantitative restrictions that limit or impose controls on exports or imports through quotas or bans should be permissible. For those products that are imported, preferential access should be given to food, goods, and services going to and coming from states that, in the processes of production, provision, and trade respect human rights, treat workers fairly, and protect the environment.
Trade controls that increase local employment with decent wages, enhance environmental protection, ensure adequate competition and consumer protection, and otherwise improve the quality of life should be encouraged. States are urged to give favourable treatment to domestic food, products, and services that best further these goals.
States should make distinctions among the food and other products that they choose to import on the basis of the way they have been produced in order to further the aims of sustainable development.
Controls on trade should contribute to a wide range of purposes that further sustainable development, for example, sanctions against human rights violations; tariffs for the maintenance of environmental, food, health, and animal-welfare standards; enforcement of treaties on environment and labor rights.
All international laws and regulations that concern food and food safety and environmental and social standards should create a floor for governing the conditions for trade between parties. Any country with higher levels should receive favourable terms of trade. Poorer countries for whom such standards are too expensive should receive financial support to help them implement them. Once such a country has set a date for such improvements, it should receive the same favourable trade terms.
The “precautionary principle” is a justifiable basis upon which to establish regulatory controls affecting trade when the risks warrant action, even in the face of scientific uncertainty about the extent and nature of potential impacts.
Global patenting rights should not override the rights of indigenous communities to genetic and biological resources that are held in common. For food and other products, fees should be able to be charged to cover the cost of development, plus a reasonable level of profit, but such patenting rights must have a limited time frame and fully reimburse the parties whose knowledge contributed to the patented entity.
No individual investor may invoke international enforcement mechanisms against investment regulations of nation states. The implementation of domestic investment regulations shall not be constrained by trade rules, provided that the investment regulations improve domestic social and environmental regulations and further such advances in trade relations.
Chapter 6: Manifesto on the Future of Seed