Revisiting the Political Economy of Agriculture in 21st Century Food Systems

ABSTRACT

In 1932, Joseph Duncan argued in the Journal of Agricultural Economics that agricultural economists should engage more explicitly with politics. Nearly a century later, the political economy of food and agriculture has expanded in both scope and complexity. This paper revisits the evolution of political economy perspectives on agricultural policy, tracing the shift from early interest‐based explanations centered on farmers and consumers to broader frameworks that incorporate institutions, ideas and the interactions among diverse policy actors. We argue that contemporary transitions from an agricultural policy paradigm to a food systems one require a further rethinking of political economy analysis. Specifically, contemporary food systems pursue multiple and often competing objectives, including productivity, nutrition, environmental sustainability, resilience and equity, while involving a far wider array of stakeholders, from multinational corporations and transnational advocacy networks to technology firms and global governance institutions. At the same time, rising political polarization, populism, digital misinformation and the fragmentation of multilateral governance increasingly shape how policy preferences are formed, coalitions are constructed, and policy compromises are negotiated. These developments complicate traditional assumptions that preferences are driven primarily by material interests and that institutions can reliably facilitate collective action. We illustrate these changing dynamics through brief case studies of the 2024 European farmer protests, Brazil's Amazon Soy Moratorium and Mexico's genetically modified corn dispute. Each case highlights tensions between national sovereignty, global integration, environmental sustainability, and agricultural livelihoods. We conclude that understanding twenty‐first century food policy requires political economy frameworks that integrate interests, institutions, ideas and the changing geopolitical and informational context in which food system decisions are made.