Significant stresses in these areas could jeopardize food security
New research on the global maize (corn) trade suggests that any disruptions to U.S. exports could pose food security risks for many U.S. trade partners due to the lack of trade among other producing and importing nations. The study, while not primarily focused on plant disease, population growth, climate change or the diversion of corn to non-food uses such as ethanol, suggests that significant stresses in these areas could jeopardize food security. This is particularly true of nations like Mexico, Japan and the Republic of Korea that have yet to diversify their sources.
Maize is at the center of global food security as increasing demands for meat, fuel uses, and cereal crop demands increase the grain’s pivotal importance in diets worldwide. It is used as a basic raw material in producing starch, oil, protein, alcohol, food sweeteners and as a dietary staple. Disruptions in any one major exporter’s supplies could lead to price shocks. The centrality of maize means that it would become a critical food security risk if major exporters experience disruptions due to non-food diversions, plant diseases and climate impacts, according to the article.
The researchers studied trade patterns from 2000-2009 and determined that the U.S. is by far the largest exporter, exporting four times as much maize as Argentina, the next largest exporter. Drs. Felicia Wu of Michigan State University and Hasan Guclu of the University of Pittsburgh use network models — essentially, food trade maps — to track the movement of maize in their article “Global Maize Trade and Food Security: Implications from a Social Network Model.” The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the article was recently published electronically in the journal Risk Analysis, published by the Society for Risk Analysis.
The researchers based their work on United Nations Commodity Trade data and developed a social network model of maize exports and imports to study how “clustering” in trade patterns may affect food security. The clustering shows that nations generally do not trade broadly worldwide. Nations that import maize primarily from only one other nation may be vulnerable to any changes in their exporters’ ability to produce and ship maize. “These statistics show that the vast majority of nations are exporting to or importing from only one or a small number of nations,” they conclude. They also note that Japan is the largest importer by far, while other nations such as Taiwan and Egypt have more broadly diversified their sources of maize, thereby reducing their vulnerability to export disruptions.
The researchers are careful to point out that their work is descriptive and cannot predict what risks will actually be or if they might lead to disruptions.
The Latest Bing News on:
Maize Trade Disruption
- European Parliament approves extension of temporary trade support measures for Ukraineon April 23, 2024 at 1:01 pm
The European Parliament voted on April 23 to endorse the extension of temporary trade liberalisation measures for Ukraine, in a move billed as also protecting EU farmers. With 428 votes in favour, ...
- European Parliament Votes To Extend Trade Liberalization For Ukraineon April 23, 2024 at 10:51 am
The European Parliament on Tuesday endorsed the extension of temporary trade liberalization measures for Ukraine, while protecting EU farmers. The ...
- Maize cultivation 300 years ago resulted in karst rock desertification, suggest researcherson April 16, 2024 at 5:01 pm
Wang Kelin from the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have found that maize cultivation and tree felling three hundred years ago triggered severe rocky ...
- Maize, milk export earnings increaseon March 27, 2024 at 5:01 pm
Leading among the commodities were coffee, dairy products, fish and its products, maize and cocoa beans as ... ministries like water and environment, trade, and local governments to address ...
- Zim embraces GMO maize importson March 27, 2024 at 5:01 pm
Further investigation by Equity Axis Research sheds light on the matter, unveiling a monthly decrease in maize imports from US$49 million to US$42 million, based on the latest trade data for January.
- EU Parliament preliminarily approved extension of duty-free exports of Ukrainian agricultural productson March 19, 2024 at 9:20 pm
On Wednesday, March 19, the European Parliament and the European Council reached a preliminary agreement to extend trade liberalization ... there be significant disruption to the EU market or ...
- Merchants Hoard Grains As Feed Producers Suspend Offtakeon March 3, 2024 at 1:14 am
The suspension of major animal feed producers from the buying of maize and sorghum across the ... faced with serious food insecurity which has disrupted the food systems, reduced incomes and ...
- Maize Maintenanceon December 1, 2023 at 8:49 am
A new study of maize kernels is upending assumptions about Native American agriculture. It was thought that Iroquoian people living in the northeastern United States needed to move their villages ...
- Trade disrupted as mass protests backon May 2, 2023 at 2:01 pm
A resident, Ken Ouma, urged the government to be realistic when announcing the cost of maize flour. "The government says the cost of maize flour has gone down to about Sh150, yet it is still Sh200 ...
- Trade disrupted as mass protests backon May 2, 2023 at 2:00 pm
"I had released my son at 6.30am and expected him to be in school but I was shocked when he returned. He told me they could not pass Soko Mjinga market as the whole place was blocked," Hellen Ouma ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Maize Trade Disruption
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Maize Trade Disruption” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
Food security
- Food Security Revolution: National Foods Grows Pakistan’s Future ‘One Ingredient at a Time’on April 26, 2024 at 9:44 pm
Imagine a world where a global crisis doesn't cripple your dinner table. For Pakistan, a nation deeply woven into the fabric of culinary delights, the ...
- Top US official holds talks with President for further support for food securityon April 26, 2024 at 8:37 pm
Alexis Taylor, Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), together with U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung, met with Sri Lankan President Ranil ...
- Non-profit works with Hatch schools to increase food securityon April 26, 2024 at 2:36 pm
A new food pantry in southern New Mexico is working to help fight food insecurity in an area in need of support. In February, Casa de Peregrinos, along with Hatch Valley Public Schools, teamed up to ...
- Southeast Asia’s heatwaves threaten food security. How can nations adapt?on April 26, 2024 at 2:30 pm
Many parts of Southeast Asia are undergoing record-breaking heatwaves, leading to disruptions in rice supplies and fluctuations in prices. The region can safeguard livelihoods by planting ...
- Why MetroWest legislators seek millions for food security, health in MA state budgeton April 26, 2024 at 1:13 pm
MetroWest legislators are advocating for tens of millions of dollars in additional fiscal 2025 spending for health services and food security.
- Food security is national securityon April 26, 2024 at 6:45 am
With this in mind, over the winter the U.S. Department of Agriculture released some unsettling numbers. In fiscal year 2023, the United States was a net importer of agricultural products, meaning the ...
- ‘Food security and self-sufficiency a vital necessity’on April 26, 2024 at 2:58 am
Across Bermuda, a call to action is echoing. With more than 90 per cent of all products imported, our island stands at a crossroads, facing a future marred by vulnerability, uncertainty and a ...
- ‘AO 20 necessary for food security’on April 25, 2024 at 9:00 am
The newly issued administrative order (AO) seeking to remove non-tariff barriers on agricultural imports is a necessary measure for food security, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA ...
- “A Work of Art — Creating Food Security” Exhibiton April 23, 2024 at 9:11 pm
The Hometown Food Security Project (HFSP) and Hormel Foods Corporation in collaboration with Austin High School invite residents of Austin and surrounding communities to attend “A Work of Art: ...
- Agri, biosystem engineers' confab seen to boost food securityon April 22, 2024 at 3:37 am
Government agencies and local government units are expected to receive a boost in their food security efforts with help from experts in agriculture and biosystem engineering. On Monday, more than ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Food security
[google_news title=”” keyword=”food security” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]