Trade and Agriculture: A snapshot of the WTO Rules

The WTO Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) serves as the pivotal multilateral framework setting out the rules and principles governing agricultural trade. It contains detailed rules regarding domestic support, market access, and export subsidies in agriculture, among others. Currently, the WTO members are actively negotiating improved disciplines on agricultural trade to ensure the AoA rules are effective in addressing contemporary challenges. However, concerns persist regarding perceived asymmetries and imbalances in the AoA, while ongoing agricultural negotiations remain fraught with divergences. This chapter explains the framework of the AoA and highlights the main issues raised by members regarding the rules on domestic support, market access and export competition.