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Ukraine-EU farm export dispute: Are there any consequences?
Ukraine-EU farm export dispute: Are there any consequences? | Europe In: 60 | GZERO Media

Ukraine-EU farm export dispute: Are there any consequences?

Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden, shares his perspective on European politics - this week from the airport in Madrid.

What are the consequence of the dispute now between Ukraine and the European Union on farm exports?

It is not really a dispute with the European Union because the commission has said that farm exports are okay. But then suddenly Poland has an election, and Slovakia which has election and Hungary, which has own policy, said, “No, no, we don't allow these particular grain exports from Ukraine because our farmers don't like it.” That runs totally contrary to the common trade policy that the European Union is running, runs totally contrary to the solidarity with Ukraine and support to Ukraine that we have all agreed on. So yeah, we'll see what happens. It’s a serious question.

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Paige Fusco/ GZERO Media

The Graphic Truth: US-Canada agriculture trade boom

The US and Canada, whose trade relationship topped $1.2 trillion in 2022, have long been at loggerheads over one key sector: agriculture. Indeed, both countries have accused the other of putting in place protectionist policies that undermine the spirit of free trade.

This all came to a head in 2018, when then-President Donald Trump played hardball over the renegotiation of a US-Canada-Mexico trade agreement, citing Ottawa’s role – dating back to the 1960s – in stabilizing agricultural prices at home. And Trump isn’t the only one with protectionist proclivities: President Joe Biden has kept many of his predecessor’s trade policies intact.

Despite claims that broad free trade agreements have hurt their respective farming sectors, bilateral agri-trade has in fact boomed over the past few decades due to the eradication of trade barriers. We take a look at US-Canada agriculture trade since 1990.

Water isn’t “free” - but it shouldn’t be private
Water isn’t “free” - but it shouldn’t be private | GZERO World

Water isn’t “free” - but it shouldn’t be private

UN-Water Chair Gilbert Houngbo remembers being a college student in the late 70s, when people first started saying water should be treated as a public good. Today, we're still having that same conversation, but now, groups like UN-Water are working to make it a reality.

On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, Houngbo emphasizes the importance of policies that ensure access to basic water services, encourage water reuse, and minimize the risk of pollution. It's easy to think water is free and we don't need to take care of it, says Houngbo, "but this has to stop."

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The challenge of measuring the global water crisis
The challenge of measuring the global water crisis | GZERO World

The challenge of measuring the global water crisis

How do you measure the global water crisis? When it comes to climate change, many people are familiar with the 1.5°C metric from the Paris Climate Accords, but is there an equivalent for water? In a discussion with Ian Bremmer on GZERO World, UN-Water Chair Gilbert Houngbo delves into the complexity of measuring the global water challenge and evaluating solutions for the future.

UN-Water is a consortium of dozens of UN agencies working together to address the water crisis and figure out the best way to meaure progress. Houngbo notes that metrics like access to drinkable water, sanitation, and water reuse are a good start. But the worst water scarcity problems are in rural areas, where the data quality is challenging.

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Untangling the global water crisis
The Global Water Crisis: UN-Water Chair On Solutions for the Future | GZERO World

Untangling the global water crisis

Access to clean and drinkable water is a significant challenge all over the world. UN-Water Chair Gilbert Houngbo joins Ian Bremmer on GZERO World to shed light on the complexity of the issue, which he says is “a combination of bad governance and lack of resources.”

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Shocks making it harder to meet Sustainable Development Goals
Can we still meet the SDGs? | GZERO Media

Shocks making it harder to meet Sustainable Development Goals

After the pandemic and now the global food crisis, meeting the UN's Sustainable Goals by the 2030 deadline will be a tall order.

But actually it's previous systemic challenges aggravated by those crises that are undermining the push to achieve the SDGs, Kathryn Hollifield, from the World Bank's Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, explained during a livestream discussion on the global food crisis hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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Innovation: cause for optimism amid the global food crisis
Reasons For Optimism Amid The Global Food Crisis | GZERO Media

Innovation: cause for optimism amid the global food crisis

How long will food prices keep rising? Will food itself become scarce? There's a lot of doom and gloom these days about the global food crisis, made even worse by Russia's war in Ukraine.

But there are some reasons to be hopeful, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman said during a livestream conversation about the global food crisis hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with the organization he leads.

The Gates Foundation, he explained, has long been investing in innovations that can massively increase productivity by smallholder farmers across the developing world. Think drought-tolerant seeds or flood-resistant rice.

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Why do the world's poorest pay more for the same food?
Why Do The World's Poorest Pay More For The Same Food? | Pula's Thomas Njeru | GZERO Media

Why do the world's poorest pay more for the same food?

Smallholder farmers in developing countries currently produce about 30% of the world's food. But they are way less productive than large-scale farmers in the developed world.

Thomas Njeru, who knows a thing or two about smallholder farming because he grew up on a small farm in his native Kenya before co-founding a micro-insurance firm for smallholders, says boosting the productivity of smallholders could up global food output by 30% — more than enough to cover the 10% deficit we now face.

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