Bretton Woods, the International Trade Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization

Abstract

Agriculture played a special role for the planners of a postwar liberal order, not just for meeting the immediate needs for food in a war-ravaged world but also as an important factor in the world economy. For exporters and importers alike, the regulation of the volatile commodity markets was of tantamount importance for creating international economic cooperation. There were many blueprints for translating the wartime cooperation in food stuffs and raw materials into international agreements, thus increasing trade, fostering production, and leading to better nutrition worldwide. But the disagreement whether commodities belonged under the purview of the Food and Agricultural Organization or the envisioned International Trade Organization prevented agreement, and the moment for cooperation in agricultural markets passed.