By The Farm Foundation

This paper provides an executive summary of a conference on North American trade sponsored by the Farm Foundation and the American Agricultural Economics Association.

In discussions that focused on the challenges and success of free trade agreements in North America, trade experts from three countries detailed the changes they have seen in North American agricultural trade over the last decade and offered a look at issues that may arise as the 2002 Farm Bill debate progresses. The conference was attended by more than 90 agricultural economists, agri-business leaders, and government officials and included presentations by leading agricultural economists, lawyers, and industry and government representatives from Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The conference gave an integrated perspective of the economic, legal and political dimensions of the evolving agricultural trade relationships in North America. In four sessions, participants examined (1) recent developments in North American trade flows, (2) the history, economic and legal context of agricultural trade irritants and trade disputes between Canada, Mexico, and the United States, (3) potential synergies and conflicts between NAFTA and domestic farm program initiatives, and (4) industry perspectives on potential future directions for North American trade policy.

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