Globalization and Trends in World Food Consumption

A close examination of global food consumption trends from studies on food consumption over a long period of time and over a wide range of spatial coverage uncovers clear emerging patterns. This article details the trading-up phenomenon and the convergence phenomenon. It shows the landscape of food consumption in the world by reviewing the per capita consumption pattern of major agricultural commodities by country using use consumption data published by the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute. It provides statistical evidence of the convergence hypothesis suggesting a narrowing of differences in consumption pattern between countries. It identifies the fundamental forces that drive the development of these patterns and gives the specific country examples of these phenomena. Some of the implications of this emerging consumption trend are explored, namely, food security and the emerging consumption affects on health outcomes.

The Potential Effects on United States Agriculture of an Avian Influenza Outbreak

The U.S. poultry industry has spent considerable resources to date preparing for an outbreak of avian influenza in this country. This research quantifies the potential effects of two alternative avian influenza scenarios on the poultry industry. In addition, this research looks at effects on other agriculture sectors including the loss of feed demand from an outbreak and the impacts on aggregate measures like farm income and consumer food expenditures. The economic sector model maintained by the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) is employed for these scenarios.

Food and Agricultural Policy: The Challenges Ahead

Indian agriculture has made significant progress since independence. The produc - tion of foodgrains, oilseeds, sugarcane, cotton, and milk has increased four-fold since 1950-51. Yet, millions of Indians remain undernourished while, at the same time, more than 25 million tonne of foodgrains remain in the buffer-stock. The persistence of hunger amidst abundance is the result of inadequate purchasing power with the hungry. Agricultural policies alone cannot provide for food security. The main policy dilemma has been to provide farmers incentives to -grow more through remunerative prices and at the same time keep the food prices low enough for the consumers. This has been sought to be achieved through a policy of low output prices and low prices for agricultural inputs of water, power, and fertilizers through subsidies. This policy is no longer tenable and we need to change our agricultural policies. This paper suggests a set of policies which would make Indian agriculture productive, vigorous, and competitive, able to not only face the challenges of global markets but thrive from it.