Agricultural policy covers laws and regulations controlling agricultural activity, including price regulation, food safety, and protection of domestic markets. Governments aim to ensure there is sufficient and safe food on the market, and may limit exports if a certain food is becoming scarce.
Agricultural policy usually refers to a set of laws and regulations that control agricultural activity. Some policies may cover household assets such as land use. Other types of policies may deal with international agricultural issues such as taxes.
Agriculture is generally a very important issue for governments. Usually people have to be responsible for feeding themselves. They exercise their responsibility by purchasing food. A government, however, tends to be the entity responsible for ensuring that there is sufficient and safe food on the market to purchase. To ensure that it does its part, a government can attempt to achieve a variety of goals through different types of agricultural policies.
Price, for example, is an area that may be too sensitive for governments to leave to chance. This is especially true with staples like rice, wheat, or cornmeal. In countries that have large numbers of poor people, governments often find it necessary to regulate the prices of basic necessities. This is an effort to prevent mass starvation and malnutrition. Price regulation can also help reduce the number of people who might otherwise seek government help.
Food is another important aspect of agricultural policy. Good governance generally includes concern for the welfare of the people. It’s not always enough for a government to ensure that there is food on the market. Government may also need to consider whether available food contains the nutrients people need to be healthy. In cases where access to a wide variety of foods is limited, enrichment and fortification can become agricultural policy issues.
Enrichment and fortification aim to ensure that food contains the essential nutrients for a healthy life. Making sure that food does not contain harmful things is also a priority for most governments. Agricultural policy can mandate the use of certain fertilizers and pesticides while prohibiting others. There may also be laws preventing certain foods from being imported from certain places due to fears that they could cause mass infections, such as foot and mouth disease.
Another reason governments can prevent importation is to protect domestic markets. In many countries, large segments of the population make a living through agriculture. If foreign goods of the same type were allowed to flood their markets, it could endanger the livelihoods of millions.
Most countries tend to have a positive outlook towards the sale of excess food on international markets. In some cases, however, agricultural policy will limit exports. This can happen when there is a concern that a certain food is becoming scarce.
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