In the Perspectives guest blog series, Farm Foundation invites participants from among the varied Farm Foundation programs to share their unique viewpoint on a topic relevant to a Farm Foundation focus area. Dr. Sandro Steinbach, the 2024 Farm Foundation Agricultural Economics Fellow, and Claire Citeau, a distinguished fellow at the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute, contributed this guest blog. In July 2024, they attended the Global Forum on Farm Policy & Innovation‘s second workshop, held in Washington D.C. on the topic of measuring sustainability outcomes to facilitate agricultural trade. An in-depth paper summarizing the event’s key takeaways and next steps is also now available.

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As climate pressures increase and sustainable practices become a priority, the agricultural sector faces a unique challenge: balancing trade policies with the need for sustainable farming. In July 2024, global experts gathered at the Global Forum for Farm Policy & Innovation (GFFPI) workshop in Washington, D.C., to tackle these pressing questions. Here, we highlight key takeaways from the workshop on aligning global trade with sustainable agriculture.

Why Integrating Sustainability into Trade Matters

Global agriculture is at a crossroads as countries strive to boost productivity and meet sustainability goals without causing unintended trade disruptions. Trade plays a vital role in food security, yet poorly coordinated policies can lead to barriers, especially as more nations adopt individual sustainability measures. To keep the agricultural sector competitive and resilient, there’s a growing need for a unified framework to guide trade and sustainability.

The Challenges of Harmonizing Trade with Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable agriculture protects natural resources, maintains profitability, and supports community well-being. While the concept is widely understood, applying it consistently across countries and trade agreements takes time and effort. The workshop underscored that each country faces unique hurdles in integrating sustainable practices. For example, while some regions prioritize carbon reduction, others focus on reducing food insecurity or supporting local farmers. As a result, a “one-size-fits-all” approach to sustainable trade isn’t feasible.

What Role Can Trade Agreements Play?

Trade agreements hold the potential to foster sustainability, but they must be crafted carefully. Adding sustainability chapters focused on environmental and labor standards can help, as can voluntary incentive-based programs that encourage best practices without restricting farmers’ flexibility. Workshop participants agreed that trade policy can be a powerful tool, but only if it promotes shared goals while respecting local contexts.

Adopting an Outcome-Based Approach to Measure Sustainability

One key takeaway from the workshop was shifting from traditional, input-based sustainability measures (such as mandating specific farming practices) to outcome-based approaches. This shift allows farmers to adapt and innovate while focusing on measurable results like soil health, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity. Though more complex, outcome-based metrics can yield more meaningful insights and foster an environment where sustainable practices are both encouraged and achievable.

The Importance of Global Standards and Local Flexibility

Global standards are essential for assessing sustainability fairly across different countries. However, rigid frameworks may overlook local realities, particularly for smallholder farmers who face unique challenges. Workshop discussions emphasized the importance of balancing global standards and local flexibility to ensure sustainability goals are relevant and achievable worldwide. This balance is critical for creating trade policies that don’t stifle innovation or penalize farmers in resource-limited regions.

Supporting Sustainable Innovation in Agriculture

International trade enables innovation by allowing the transfer of knowledge, technology, and best practices. Golden Rice, an innovation born of global collaboration to address vitamin A deficiency, was one example discussed at the workshop. Cross-border cooperation accelerates such breakthroughs, underscoring the need for open markets that allow agricultural innovations to reach areas most needed.

Recommendations for Sustainable Trade

The workshop concluded with actionable steps for aligning trade and sustainability:

1. Adopt Flexible, Science-Based Policies: Avoid rigid policies and instead focus on outcome-oriented, science-based standards that allow flexibility for farmers to adopt practices locally.
2. Invest in Consistent Metrics and Data Management: Developing universally accepted metrics will make sustainability more transparent and achievable, especially with emerging technologies like remote sensing and real-time data tracking.
3. Strengthen Global Cooperation: Collaborating with institutions like the WTO and FAO can help establish frameworks integrating trade with sustainability. Global collaboration is essential to create cohesive, effective standards.
4. Position Sustainability as a Trade Opportunity: Rather than viewing sustainability as a trade barrier, policymakers should consider it a pathway to new markets and greater competitiveness.
5. Involve Farmers in Policy Development: Policies should reflect the realities on the ground, including the needs and challenges of farmers. Ensuring farmers’ participation in policy discussions helps craft practical and impactful solutions.

The Path to a Sustainable Agricultural Future

As agriculture faces mounting challenges, aligning trade with sustainable practices is essential. With thoughtful policies and collaborative efforts, global trade can support a more sustainable and food-secure world. The insights from the GFFPI workshop provide a strong foundation for future discussions, reminding us that trade policies should empower, not hinder, the transition to sustainable agriculture. With aligned policies and a shared commitment, the agricultural sector can advance toward a more resilient, sustainable future.

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Claire Citeau is a distinguished fellow at the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute. She is also a senior fellow at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. Sandro Steinbach is an associate professor in the Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics and the director of the Center for Agricultural Policy and Trade Studies at North Dakota State University. They can be reached at cciteau@uottawa.ca and sandro.steinbach@ndsu.edu, respectively.

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A new report from the Global Forum on Farm Policy & Innovation (GFFPI) highlights the complexities of balancing trade and sustainability objectives, emphasizing the pressing need to align trade rules with sustainability goals while avoiding unintended consequences.

The report, Policy and Practice for Sustainable Agriculture and Trade, is based on observations from the second workshop held by GFFPI, held in Washington D.C. in July 2024. The first workshop was hosted at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris in 2023 and focused on the ideal state of agriculture sustainability and trade.

The second workshop explored ways to integrate sustainability into global trade frameworks and develop standardized measurements to avoid unintended consequences. The workshop brought together over 70 participants representing 17 countries, including government officials, industry representatives, and trade policy experts. The discussions grappled with fundamental questions, including whose sustainability should be prioritized in trade agreements—the exporting country, the importing country, or global outcomes—and trade-offs between the environmental, social, and economic pillars of sustainability.

Key points identified in the report include:

• Adopting an outcome-based approach to sustainability, starting with soil health, water, biodiversity and carbon measures as benchmarks.
• Developing a Sustainable Agriculture Trade Framework with clear definitions, science-based standards and guiding principles.
• Strengthening international cooperation to promote policy coherence GFFPI representatives were pleased to be able to further develop insights from the Paris workshop and push this important conversation forward.

“We are proud of and grateful for the global collaboration we have built over the last few years via GFFPI for respectful and evidence-based dialogue to elevate and advance possible pathways forward for agricultural trade and sustainability,” said Shari Rogge-Fidler, president and CEO of Farm Foundation.

Mark Titterington, co-founder and director of the Forum for the Future of Agriculture, agreed saying, “This is another strong contribution to the ongoing discussion on the role of trade policies in supporting the development of a more resilient and sustainable agri-food system. There is certainly a worthy case to consider for developing a global sustainable agriculture trade framework, underpinned by robust science, measurement and data, and which is outcome based. We were delighted to work with our partners in GFFPI in facilitating the discussion that led to this report and look forward to building on the key insights that emerged, also by bringing the European point of view and sensibilities to the discussion.”

The benefit of being able to share their specific point of view was shared by other GFFPI representatives. “As a trade-focused nation, Australian farmers know that our food-secure future depends on collaborative global action to meet shared goals,” said Katie McRobert, executive director of the Australian Farm Institute. “Trade can be a powerful lever to incentivize action on building natural, social, and economic capital in agricultural systems, provided that policies recognize unique local environmental and cultural contexts.”

When considering what comes next, the workshop highlighted the complex interplay between trade policy and agricultural sustainability and acknowledged there are many steps to make towards meaningful progress.

“The dialogue at the Washington workshop built on GFFPI’s past work, but underscored how much more work needs to be done to find solutions to the challenge of agriculture sustainability and trade,” said Tyler McCann, managing director of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute. “This work needs to be done between countries and must include leaders in trade and sustainability to lead to meaningful outcomes.”

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The Global Forum for Farm Policy and Innovation (GFFPI) leverages evidence and dialogue leading to increased understanding, substantive action, and enhanced outcomes for more sustainable agriculture around the world. GFFPI members include the Australian Farm Institute, the Canadian Agri-food Policy Institute, the Farm Foundation (United States) and the Forum for the Future of Agriculture (Europe).

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On Thursday, July 18, 2024, Farm Foundation participated in the second Global Forum for Farm and Policy Innovation (GFFPI) workshop, held in Washington D.C. The focus of the workshop was “measuring sustainability outcomes to facilitate agricultural trade.” This was a priority identified in the previous workshop.

The nearly 70 participants representing 18 countries discussed the topics of an outcomes-based approach to trade and sustainability, and measuring challenges and opportunities in trade and sustainability. Farm Foundation President and CEO Shari Rogge-Fidler provided opening remarks and also facilitated small group discussions, along with Farm Foundation Vice President of Programs and Projects Martha King. U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor spoke on the importance of trade and sustainability for global food and agriculture.

The first workshop, held in late 2023, brought together representatives from OECD countries and OECD Secretariat as well as industry experts from across Europe, North America, Japan, and Australia to discuss the role of trade and agriculture sustainability in an interactive and thought-provoking format. That workshop, held at the OECD in Paris, enabled stakeholders from around the world to identify common goals and priorities. 

The findings from the first workshop were published in a report entitled Advancing the Role of Trade and Agricultural Sustainability. A second paper reflecting the findings of the second workshop is anticipated this fall.  

The Washington D.C. workshop was held in partnership with the Australian Farm Institute, Farm Foundation, the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute, and the Forum for the Future of Agriculture.

GFFPI events, including this one, support Farm Foundation’s mission of building trust and understanding about U.S. agriculture with global food and agricultural stakeholders. In addition, Farm Foundation offers a uniquely independent platform for these dialogues to advance and elevate trade and sustainability issues. 

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