The rapid increase in food prices and its serious economic, social, and
political consequences surprised many people, including the supposedly wise
and insightful leaders of international financial institutions. Yet this
crisis has clear and obvious roots in the histories of agriculture,
peasantries, the food system, the oil industry, and governmental policies.
The proposals of International Financial Institutions and other groups and
individuals to alleviate this crisis reflect these same roots and may
perpetuate the fundamental problems they created.

We invite proposals for a panel at the upcoming World Economic History
Conference in Utrecht, 3-7 August 2009 ( <http://www.wehc2009.org/>
http://www.wehc2009.org), that address relevant aspects of the history of
the present food and agrarian crises, including agricultural and food
systems, the impact on peasants and farmers, and the role of national and
supranational politics.

Please submit proposals by 15 August 2008 to one or both of the panel
organizers:
Eric Vanhaute, Ghent University, Belgium (eric.vanhaute@ugent.be)

Mark Tauger, West Virginia University, USA (mtauger@wvu.edu)