Harvesting Poverty

Two hundred years ago, the English navy blockaded French ports, cutting the country off from the sugar cane of tropical colonies and forcing Napoleon to push French farmers to grow beet sugar as a replacement. The blockade eventually ended, but the farming of beet sugar did not. Indeed, as this New York Times editorial points out, beet sugar is vehemently protected by EU agricultural policies to this day, much to the detriment of farmers in developing countries who are unable to compete with Europe's generously subsidized produce on the global market. The subsidy situation is so dire that the subject will likely dominate the upcoming meeting of the WTO in Cancun. However, Europe remains aggressively resistant to easing protectionist policies and maintains that agricultural trade should be managed between regional blocs. This article maintains that Europe's intransigence contradicts free-trade orthodoxy and will do little to help developing countries who heavily rely on agriculture for export earnings. At the WTO talks, the editorial concludes, Europe should not obstruct reforms "that could bring hope to poor countries living in despair and strengthen the credibility of a global trading system that has helped Europe prosper." – YaleGlobal