Trade and food security in a climate change‐impacted world

Abstract

Today's climate‐turbulent world is rife with food insecurity—threatening economic development trajectories by stunting growth, subsequently reducing employability and labor productivity, especially for developing countries. The pandemic has exacerbated these adverse effects and reveals the critical need to put in place policies that can safeguard and sustain trade flows in agricultural products. For the vast majority of countries, food security cannot be guaranteed by domestic production alone. If certain crops are domestically untenable or yields are temporarily poor, imports are essential. Additionally, exports of agricultural products provide a major source of income for some of the poorest people around the world. This article explores the interplay between climate change, the production and the trade of agricultural products, and the resulting food security implications. It then examines the existing trade policies governing agricultural trade and provides recommendations for action at the global, regional, and country levels.

Climate change impacts on agricultural trade and food security in emerging economies: case of Southern Africa

“…In other words, the results have proven that climate change is threating agricultural trade flows in the region such that the region may continue to be a net-food importer. The results corroborate those of Tekce and Deniz [15], Khan et al [17], Adesete et al [25], Fusco [27], Baptista et al [11], Affoh et al [24], Brenton et al [2] and Dumortier et al [1] who in their respective studies also found negative impacts of climate change on agricultural trade.…”

“…In this regard, climate change has become one of the most pressing issues affecting attainment of sustainable agriculture and food security [1]. One area where it is particularly concerning is in emerging economies, where agriculture plays a significant role in their economy and food security [2]. Climate change has led to unpredictable weather patterns, droughts, floods, and extreme temperatures that have affected crop yields and livestock production [3].…”

Food Security Under a Changing Climate: Exploring the Integration of Resilience in Research and Practice

“…The general consensus in the literature is that trade will play an important role in adjusting to the shifts in agricultural and food production patterns resulting from climate change (Brenton et al, 2022;Nelson et al, 2009Nelson et al, , 2010, improving household food access by moderating price increases, and reducing shocks to food availability (Brown & Kshirsagar, 2015;Brown et al, 2017;Lybbert & Sumner, 2012). However, in order to ensure that the stabilizing power of trade is realized, investments in maintaining, expanding, and climate-proofing existing infrastructure are considered necessary, particularly in order to reach geographically isolated, poor, and/or socially marginalized communities (Thacker et al, 2019).…”

Agriculture and AfCFTA: NTM reductions increase intra‐Africa trade

“…Given the limited country 2 Ajewole et al (2022) point out that the movement of labor and other factors of production out of agriculture is generally regarded as a key component of economic development. Further, Brenton et al (2022) note that exports of agricultural products provide a major source of income, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.…”