Trade policies for Transcending Boundaries: Managing boundaries in an unbalanced world
In the latest blog in our Transcending Boundaries series, Paul McMahon examines the role trade policies have played in evening out imbalances in the global food system and ensuring food security both within and across borders.
Paul questions the wisdom of free and open global trade in food commodities without interference from government, which left many nations exposed during the food price spike of 2008. Instead, he argues for policies that support domestic food production and put smallholders and ecological farming at the centre of agricultural development – although this is not without its risks.
Paul McMahon is a co-founder and partner of SLM Partners, an asset manager that invests in regenerative, ecological farming systems that deliver both financial returns and environmental benefits. He is the author of Feeding Frenzy: The New Politics of Food and is an Associate Fellow at Chatham House. Originally from Ireland, he holds a PhD from Cambridge University.
