Liberalization of agricultural trade and poverty reduction

Under the rules of the World Trade Organization the developed countries should remove trade barriers built into their systems, allowing the developing and less developed countries at the same time to protect their own markets, until they gain competitiveness in the international trade. However, in reality the developed countries, using their power and influence, turn the rules in their favor, thereby accessing the markets of the developing countries and leading them in deeper poverty. Undoubtedly, international trade plays an important role in reducing poverty, but further reforms and liberalization in trade policies are needed in order this process to be fully realized. The purpose of this paper is to present the opportunities arising from the liberalization of agricultural trade, primarily with regard to reducing poverty in the world.