Accommodating Degrowth? Structural Limits and Openings in WTO Agri-Food Trade Governance

Abstract This study evaluates the compatibility of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) legal framework with degrowth-aligned global agri-food trade. Through an interdisciplinary literature review, it develops and applies a degrowth-aligned trade framework, identifying limited policy space for sufficiency-, regeneration-, and distribution-oriented measures, while commons- and care-oriented approaches conflict with WTO disciplines. Focusing on the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA), the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), and Special & Differential Treatment (SDT) provisions, the analysis reveals how liberalization and efficiency-oriented production dominate WTO agreements, constraining localized and regenerative trade models. While incremental reforms – such as reinterpretations of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) Article XX or strengthened SDT provisions – offer marginal flexibility, a systemic degrowth transformation remains unlikely. The study supports a dual-track approach: selective engagement with WTO openings alongside development of alternative governance arrangements. This framework contributes a structured lens for rethinking global agri-food trade beyond growth imperatives.