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Agri-food Geopolitics in the Mediterranean: Challenges and Opportunities for Collaboration
CIHEAM > AGENDAS > Agri-food Geopolitics in the Mediterranean: Challenges and Opportunities for Collaboration

Lecture

Fernando Miranda Sotillos, Counsellor of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food at the Diplomatic Mission of Spain in Italy and Deputy Permanent Representative of Spain to FAO, discusses in this talk the impact of current international conflicts on agriculture and food trade in the Mediterranean region.

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Talk Summary

The multilateral trading system has lowered costs associated to trade, and supported the economic growth of low- and middle-income countries, many of which remain highly dependent on food imports to meet basic food security needs. International agrifood trade has helped interconnect global food systems, contributing to food security. At the same time, lower-income and developing countries have boosted their domestic food production systems to reduce dependence on imported agrifood products and to buffer the effects of price volatility and international market disruptions increasingly influenced by the geopolitical context. This lecture in included in the Inaugural Ceremony of the 2025-2026 academic year at CIHEAM Zaragoza and will examine the current state of food geopolitics, with a particular focus on the new scenario arising from the trade confrontation initiated by the United States that challenges the principles of rules-based international trade.

Speaker

Fernando Miranda Sotillos has a degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Castilla-La Mancha and is a member of the State Corps of Agricultural Engineers. He has developed his professional career at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, with numerous technical posts and, since 2006 has held senior roles within the Ministry. He has been President of the Spanish Agricultural Guarantee Fund (FEGA), Director General for Production and Markets, and Secretary General for Agriculture and Food. In July 2024, he took up the position of Counsellor of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food at the Permanent Mission of Spain to the International Organisations in Geneva, monitoring international trade affairs related to agriculture, fisheries and food, at the World Trade Organization (WTO). Since September 1, 2025, he is stationed in Rome as Counsellor of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food at the Diplomatic Mission of Spain in Italy and Deputy Permanent Representative of Spain to the FAO.

Conference details