ABSTRACT
This chapter compares the United States (US) and European Community (EC) systems and discusses their prospects for the future. The EC and the US are the two largest producers and consumers of agricultural products in the world but their policies have many goals in common with other OECD countries. A sharp contrast exists between the policy goals pursued by advanced capitalist countries and the actual policies used to achieve these goals. Although the US and EC share similar problems, their agrarian policies reflect the unique historical circumstances of each region. The similarities between their agrarian policies reflect a common international political and economic environment. American and Community policies have similar goals and consequences: they are protectionist, they have negative impacts on the Third World, and political support for them is declining. Social, fiscal, and environmental concerns will undoubtedly play a larger role in the creation of future agrarian policies than they have in the past.
