In anticipation of the Thanksgiving holiday this week, the Cato Institute published a new essay from Philip G. Hoxie entitled “Globalization Helps Feed the World.” Part of Cato’s ongoing Defending Globalization project, the essay documents how American farmers benefit from access to global export markets while trade exposure enhances the productivity of domestic farms and ranches. Likewise, Hoxie explains how imports lower food prices, expand access to varieties like out-of-season produce, and smooth supply chain disruptions. Finally, the essay highlights how recent trade policies, particularly those targeting China, have hurt American agricultural exporters. 

Last fall, my Cato colleagues Scott Lincicome and Sophia Bagley published an essay explaining how trade and globalization have revolutionized cuisine while providing a pathway for immigrants to find employment and share their cultural traditions and experiences, which helps promote freedom and mutual understanding. 

Phil Hoxie’s essay marks the 40th essay published as part of the Defending Globalization project. This month, the project also released “Faces of Globalization,” a four-part docuseries following some of the people whose lives depend on trade and globalization, and a book that compiles 25 of the project’s essays, edited by Scott Lincicome and me. More essays and additional content will be published over the coming months. Stay tuned.