美国农业安全网内容与特点及其对韩国和中国农业政策的启示

The review of US farm safety net policies and their implications for the Republic of Korea and China

美国之所以能发展成为世界超级农业大国与其成熟的农业政策体系有着密不可分的关系。在1933年颁布第一版农业法案后的近90年的历史演变中,美国已经发展了严密可靠的农业安全网,而农业安全网在稳定农产品价格和农业经营及保障农户收入中起到至关重要的作用。本文基于2018年颁布的美国农业法案,分析美国农业安全网之农产品计划、农作物保险计划和灾害援助计划三大主要内容及其特征,探讨不同形态小农国家如何从中借鉴并完善农业政策问题。研究表明,美国农业安全网牢固且具有弹性,具体体现为:对农户的保障范围和力度大;将安全网财政负担设置在可控范围内;农户的权利与义务同行;最大化兼顾国内农业生产环境和WTO国际规则;管辖机构间分工明确、协作紧密等特点。在农产品全球自由贸易加深、气候异常、疫情等因素威胁农产品价格和农户收入稳定的大环境下,中韩两国的农业政策仍有诸多不足,亟须完善。据此,给韩国农业的政策启示是:需制定更加多样灵活的农业补贴政策;扩大农产品支援品种;需形成政策间的协调联动机制;引入强制性财政支出方式。给中国农业政策带来的启示是:推进并完善农业信息化建设;制定长效且不乏弹性的农业政策法规与完善的财政补贴体系;加大财政支持,发展健全的农业保险制度;充分利用现有的WTO规则支持重要农产品生产,并积极筹备下一轮农业谈判为发展中国家的农业发展、粮食安全等议题争取更多权益。

One of the reasons why the United States of America(US)has high agricultural competitiveness is that it implements very effective agricultural policies through the periodically revised Farm Bill.Over the past 90 years since the enactment of the Agricultural Adjustment Act in 1933,the US has pursued price and income stabilization policies for basic agricultural products,which are the core of farm income.Particularly,one of the important characteristics of the recent 2018 Farm Bill,which forms the basis of US agricultural policies from 2018 to 2023,is the strengthening of the income safety net for farmers.The US farm income safety net policies could provide useful policy lessons and implications for small family farming-oriented countries such as China and the Republic of Korea.This paper examines the price and farm income stabilization policies of the 2018 US Farm Bill and analyzes the contents and characteristics of the three core pillars of US farm safety net policies,including Commodity Programs,Crop Insurance,and Disaster Assistance Programs.The review of the 2018 US Farm Bill shows that:(1)The US farm safety net is very robust and strong.Both small family farmers and large commercial farmers are protected through multiple income safety net and risk management policies;(2)Considering the characteristics of agriculture,which fluctuates in production and price by year due to climate conditions or pests and diseases,the US has a financial management system that allows the budget required for agricultural policy to be flexibly used and at the same time the policies prevent excessive financial burdens through sophisticated policy design;(3)Farmers who benefit from the policies are also required to comply with environmental conservation obligations;(4)Both the domestic agricultural environment and WTO rules on agricultural subsidy are taken into account in formulating agricultural policy;and(5)There is a responsible agency for each core policy with close communication and cooperation among different agencies.As for the implications for the Republic of Korea,this paper suggests:Establishing more strengthened farm income and risk management policing,expanding policy-targeted products,strengthening the coordination and linkage among policies,and introducing mandatory budget expenditure system.As for the implications for China,this paper suggests:Establishing agricultural information system for data-based policy implementation,forming mid-term to long-term agricultural policy plan and consistent policy implementation according to the plan,securing sufficient financial resources for implementing farm safety net policy,developing a sound agricultural insurance system,and enhancing policy capability for making full use of existing WTO rules on agricultural subsidy and efforts to establish international rules reflecting China’s and other developing countries’agricultural policy situation in the next WTO agricultural negotiations.