Bilateral Trade and Food Security

Publication | September 2013
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This study shows that countries relying on limited bilateral trade relationships are particularly vulnerable to disruptions in food supply. Network maps employed also reveal unexploited potential trade relationships.

The authors analyze the relationship between food security and trade, focusing on food importers' exposure to sudden market failures from relying on a narrow range of international suppliers. They compute a bilateral import penetration index (BIPI), which gauges the degree to which a country depends on another for food imports. Food trade maps are drawn by the application of a force-directed algorithm that sorts through computed BIPIs and maps the nodes corresponding to the strength of bilateral ties between country pairs, thereby showing importers' vulnerabilities to disruptions in bilateral channels. Results suggest that measures aimed at diversifying supply sources reduce vulnerability.

Contents

  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • The Role of Trade in Food Security
  • Mapping Food Trade
  • Policies Toward Reducing Vulnerability
  • Conclusions
  • Appendixes
  • References

Additional Details

Authors
Type
Series
Subjects
  • Agriculture and natural resources
  • Food price volatility
  • Economics
  • Industry and trade
SKU
  • WPS135997
ISSN
  • 1655-5252 (Print)

Published Version

Brooks, Douglas H., Benno Ferrarini, and Eugenia C. Go. 2013. "Bilateral Trade and Food Security." Journal of International Commerce, Economics and Policy 4 (3): 1350015. https://doi.org/10.1142/S1793993313500154.

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