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Thank you for your support!

We’re entering 2023 filled with gratitude for the generous funding and commitment of our partners, allies and friends. We know that you — a dedicated supporter and newsletter reader — are as passionate as we are about making our food, farm and trade systems more resilient, fair and sustainable.

That’s why we’re asking for YOUR continued support as we work to advance real solutions to the most pressing crises of our time. Will you join us?

Only a few hours remain of 2022, but it’s not too late to make your end-of-year gift to IATP. Please donate to IATP today!

Meet our new senior trade policy analyst

We are thrilled to welcome Calvin Manduna to the IATP team. Learn more about Calvin, who is based in our Washington, D.C. office:

Q: What brought you to IATP?

A: I have worked for the last 15 years for various international development organizations across Africa, Europe and the Caribbean. I was looking for a new challenge that allows me to get involved in U.S. trade policy coupled with international trade policy issues. IATP offered a great opportunity for that.

Q: What energizes you about IATP's mission?

A: I am very passionate about agriculture and trade policy. I was born and raised in Zimbabwe, a country where agriculture is the mainstay and major source of livelihoods for the majority of the population. I am excited by IATP’s long-standing mission to advocate for climate justice, a just energy transition and a reimagined framework for international trade for food and agriculture that reduces risk and supports resilient and equitable food systems for all.

Q: What do you do in your free time outside of the office?

A: I relax by reading on geopolitics and international affairs. I am also working on my doctoral dissertation with Howard University. I enjoy spending time with my family in the outdoors when the weather permits.

Q: What else do you want to share with our newsletter readers?

A: Through my work, I hope to build strong partnerships with institutions, experts and policymakers in the global North and South to develop strategies and more sustainable directions for trade, climate and farm justice.

IATP December Articles

After 2022 midterms, opportunities for progress shift from Congress to states, executive branch

With control of the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly shifting to Republicans after the midterms, what kinds of policies can be passed and enacted in the next two years, and who sits in the key seats to push such policy along? Our election analysis explores what the results mean for people who live in rural communities, eat food, grow food and seek to protect the climate.

Food sovereignty and agroecology: Policy contradictions and funding gaps

Our "Agroecology in Movement" series continues with a sixth article written by Julie E. Kim of the Global Policy Forum. While previous articles have looked at community-level initiatives, this article focuses on national policy issues in two countries — Switzerland and Kenya — that influence communities’ ability to adopt agroecological transitions.

Collective action, democracy and Mexico's defense of its corn and food sovereignty

The latest article in our agroecology series comes from our partner Enrique Perez S., who analyzes the context of Mexico’s food system reforms as the country attempts to rebuild food sovereignty amid pressure from U.S. trade and agribusiness interests. Mexico’s restrictions on genetically modified (GM) corn imports are part of a wider swath of initiatives driven by Indigenous and peasant movements to counter past neoliberal policy failures and strengthen local food systems and environmental health.

No basis for U.S. to dispute Mexico's GM corn import ban

Earlier this month, a high-level delegation from the Mexican government was in Washington, D.C. to discuss Mexico’s restriction on GM corn imports. Despite calls from agribusiness interests for the U.S. to threaten Mexico with a trade dispute, our analysis finds that the proposed ban does not violate New NAFTA.

Distorting markets in the name of free trade

An agribusiness industry-sponsored market modeling study has been fueling alarm over Mexico’s proposed GM corn ban. However, the study overestimates the negative impacts of the ban. In a new policy brief, Senior Advisor Timothy Wise unpacks the false assumptions built into the study and finds there is no basis for the industry estimates of large economic losses and rising food insecurity in Mexico. U.S officials should ignore industry demands to use New NAFTA to challenge Mexico's legitimate efforts to protect public health and the environment. Learn more about Mexico's non-GMO policies here.

Can we stop trading in deforestation?

Government action to limit global deforestation is urgent. New trade rules will be essential to limiting deforestation, but the rules must take a comprehensive approach that centers around human and community rights. In our comments to the State Department, we offered three complementary policies that could bolster executive action on trade in deforested-linked agriculture commodities.

Congress fiddles with crypto legislation while the markets churn

The vastly under-resourced Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is not equipped to regulate cryptocurrencies. Rushing to authorize it to do so would legitimize crypto as an asset class and increase systemic financial risk. Legitimizing cryptocurrencies by fast-tracking legislation would serve no public interest.

COP27 debrief: What’s at stake on agriculture and climate in the coming year?

What’s at stake on agriculture and climate in the coming year? Read our reflections on the outcomes of COP27 — in particular, on agriculture and carbon markets. Next year, we'll continue our push for transformative change in the food and agriculture sector. Agriculture is at a crossroads. We have the solutions: Now we need governments to support their implementation.

Talking COP27 Episode 4: The fight for real climate action continues

In our final episode of Uprooted: Talking COP27, we discuss how the conference played out, and what's next in the fight for real climate action. Despite the hopeful decision to create a dedicated Loss and Damage fund for countries most impacted by climate disasters, COP27's final agreement fell short. Thank you for listening to our podcast miniseries!

Transforming food systems for people & the planet

Our world is facing a convergence of crises, and in 2023, IATP and our allies will be working to address the root causes of these crises and advance real solutions. Watch our new video — featuring interviews with IATP board members — to learn more about IATP, our rich history and our plans for the year to come.

IATP in the News

Climate-Smart Farm R&D Funds Waste Potential, Group Finds (2), Bloomberg Government
The New Era of Biofuels Raises Environmental Concerns, Scientific American
Innovative Partnership Connects Kids And Local Farmers To Promote Healthy Eating Habits, Hmong Times
The Meat And Dairy Industry Is Surpassing 80% Of The EU's Methane Footprint, Fizzy Magazine
Agribusiness as usual?, Grainkeepers
Big Ag and Big Oil Eye Biogas Profits, Shell Buys Nature Energy, Food & Power
World Food Prices Fall to Levels of a Year Ago, MarketWatch
Nestlé and Fonterra forge 10-year farm emission reduction alliance in New Zealand, Food Business Africa

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IATP works locally and globally at the intersection of policy and practice to ensure fair and sustainable food, farm and trade systems. IATP has offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Washington D.C. and Berlin.
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