SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND GLOBAL INSTITUTIONS - EMERGING INSTITUTIONS AND MIXED INCENTIVES

Global considerations and international initiatives have a significant impact on a nation's policy choices and directions. As societies and their economies become increasingly integrated, new institutions of gl obal governance will significantly shape political and economic behavi or on both national and subnational levels. Given this context, the ev olution of sustainable development as a conceptual and policy framewor k in agriculture will be partly determined by the emerging internation al rules governing trade and the environment. With North America as th e primary focus, this article examines the current institutional frame works of GATT (now the WTO), and NAFTA and identifies the (dis)incenti ves and opportunities they provide for agricultural production and sus tainability.