In 2003, African governments committed through the Maputo Declaration to increase public investment in agriculture to a minimum of 10 per cent of their national budgets and to raise sector growth by at least 6 per cent by 2008. Despite this commitment, hunger and poverty are on the rise in most parts of Africa. The Global and Regional Advocacy on Small Producers (GRASP) coalition commissioned studies in Cameroon, Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia to ascertain the level and type of public agricultural investment and whether national agricultural policies are beneficial to small producers. These findings and policy recommendations are relevant not only to African governments, but to donor countries, trading partners, and international organizations that are increasingly turning their attention to the global food crisis and to agricultural development. Transforming development policy alone is insufficient. Rather, the full spectrum of economic policies and structures – trade, finance, investment, aid – must be reoriented to the interests of the small producers who form the majority of Africa’s population living in poverty.

Trade As If People and Earth Matter: A Working Document on Alternatives,
seeks to contribute to the emerging dialogue on a new framework for trade that holds the promise of promoting just and sustainable development in the countries and areas where it is most needed. Trade policies and agreements must put people first! They should further genuine social and economic development for our neighbors around the world while preserving and creating good jobs here at home. They must support – not hinder – governments in adopting policies to protect public health and the natural environment. Trade policies must strike a balance between creating a predictable structure for international trade and preserving the policy space necessary for governments to foster and secure economic, social and human development for all their citizens.

Analysis of the current food crisis in terms of commodity investment, speculation, and market structure. Remarks originally delivered at an interfaith briefing and discussion about food and fuel held Wednesday, June 4, 2008 in Washington, DC.

Many involved in the debate around the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) come to the table promoting the idea that the agreement will, as the agreement's preamble states, "create new opportunities for economic and social development in the region." But is that really the case?"