Repurposing agricultural subsidies” for the transformation of the food system: Scope, hope and challenges

07.09.2022 in Hohenheim (Stuttgart), 9.00 -12.15
Lecture hall HS 4, Castle („Schloss“) of Hohenheim (Stuttgart)

Organisers: Christine Wieck, Julia Reimers, Arndt Feuerbacher, Olayinka Idowu Kareem, Kristina Mensah

The term “repurposing agricultural subsidies” has gained traction with the recent FAO-UNDP-UNEP report (A Multi-Billion-Dollar Opportunity) showing that there is significant scope for “optimizing support for the agricultural sector” that will benefit the planet. The main finding of the report repeats well known facts (see annual OECD Agricultural Policy Monitoring and Evaluation) that globally, the “majority of support to agricultural producers is either price distorting or harmful to nature and health”.

In this pre-conference session, the objective is to discuss why subsidy reforms are still so challenging and what roadblocks may exist on the way to a successful “repurposing”. Providing different scientific perspectives and country/region case studies on approaches and challenges to “subsidy repurposing” allows the audience of this pre-conference session to broaden their view, why “transforming the food system” is easier said than done.

The workshop agenda contains presentations on scope, challenges and hope for policy reform processes drawing on recent contributions from well known scholars. This is followed by case study perspectives that highlight different aspects of the repurposing debate. Each presentation is followed by a brief Q&A session. 

Foreseen agenda: