ABSTRACT
The period since 1985 has been one of remarkable change in domestic agricultural policy. This change was most apparent in the developing and middle-income countries of Latin America, where agricultural policy reforms were part of a package of economic policy changes induced by a combination of external pressures and shifting notions of the role of the state (Williamson, 1994). In retrospect, it is notable that politicians in these countries did not shy away from the inclusion of agricultural markets in the overall reform of economic policy. In most cases, difficult decisions had to be made in the face of opposition from rural constituencies, and governments often showed considerable fortitude in pursuing economic policy reform in agriculture. Domestic reforms then allowed countries to bring agriculture within the scope of trade policy reforms, generally involving the removal of non-tariff barriers and the setting of low fixed tariffs against imports. 23
