provided by Research Papers in Economics
AGRICULTURAL TRADE LIBERALIZATION UNDER
NAFTA: REPORTING ON THE REPORT CARD
Gary E Fairchild and Pierre Aubin
INTRODUCTION
The format of the Sixth Agricultural and Food Policy Information
Workshop was somewhat unique. The focus of the workshop was to determine
“what we have learned from the experience of NAFTA.” The overarching ob-
jective of the workshop was to assess how well NAFTA objectives have been
achieved as they relate to the agri-food sector, and consider what this conclu-
sion suggests for future agreements. To this end, the workshop was designed
around the concept of a “report card on agriculture under NAFTA.” Workshop
participants were asked to fill out a report card, in the form of a written ques-
tionnaire, at the beginning of the workshop. The responses were summarized
during the workshop and presented during the final session.
At the conclusion of the final session, workshop participants again were
asked to complete the same report card in an attempt to judge whether or not
the discussions of trade and policy developments under NAFTA and the re-
views of agricultural commodity disputes during the workshop had an influ-
ence on participant assessments of how well NAFTA objectives have been
achieved.