Agri-Food Policy

Agri-food policy is a privileged field of study that can further the analytical knowledge of interest group politics, government and interest group relations, and lobbying strategies in a changing policy domain. Agri-food policies are designed to support and influence the operations around production, processing, and consumption of food, and a significant public intervention is dedicated to this peculiar policy domain. Studies on agricultural exceptionalism reveal state interventionism in past national policies, the special treatment given to the sector and the privileged position reserved for agricultural interests. Powerful farmers’ groups and dedicated institutions in compartmentalized policymaking developed special relationships: in different contexts, iron triangles, close policy communities, or corporatist alliances emerged and differently consolidated the state-assisted policy paradigm. Since the 1980s, trade liberalization and budget constraints have defined new agendas for governments. Structural changes in agriculture, fragmented agricultural interests, and criticism for overproduction and environmental externalities, facilitated state retrenchment and the spread of neo-liberal policy paradigms. Different policy networks have emerged and a wider range of interests – commodities groups, organic farmers, food processors, retailers – have lobbied governments and international organizations. New interests related to food, consumerism, the environment, and conservationism have mobilized, playing an outsider role in the policy process. Studies on the post-exceptionalism of agri-food policies highlight the pluralism of interests and the politicization of issues in national and supranational arenas. In the transnational policy space, governments and agricultural interest groups remain relevant players among many other actors, such as retailer chains and corporations, international organizations, and alternative agri-food movements.