World Perspectives

Moral-Based Trade III; Trade Leverage Conundrum; FFR Minimalism; Food Fantasy; Science over Politics

Moral-Based Trade III French President Emmanuel Macron sought to add to his own political strength yesterday by saying, “Let’s stop signing trade agreements with those who don’t comply with the Paris Agreement.” As has been noted in the past (see Ag Perspectives, 4 October 2017 and 14 March 2018), there are pitfalls in conditioning trade agreements on moral issues. For example, several EU countries do not recognize same sex marriage; Ireland still bans abortion; and France prohibits the wearing of religious headwear in public places. But the key question for Mssr. Macron regarding his proposed threshold is whether it is about merely being a signatory to the agreement or about reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs)...

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From WPI Consulting

Forecasting developments in production agriculture

On behalf of a private U.S. agricultural technology provider, WPI’s team generated an econometric model to forecast the movement of concentrated corn production north and west from the traditional U.S. Corn Belt. WPI’s model has subsequently provided quantitative support to a multi-million-dollar investment into short-season corn variety development. WPI’s methodology included a series of interviews with regional grain elevators and seed consultants. Emphasizing outreach and communication with stakeholders who possess intimate sectoral knowledge – on-the-ground insights – is a regular component of WPI’s methodologies, made possible by WPI’s ever-growing network of industry contacts.

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