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arXiv · 1901.05872

International crop trade networks: The impact of shocks and cascades

Rebekka Burkholz·Frank Schweitzer
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Abstract

Analyzing available FAO data from 176 countries over 21 years, we observe an increase of complexity in the international trade of maize, rice, soy, and wheat. A larger number of countries play a role as producers or intermediaries, either for trade or food processing. In consequence, we find that the trade networks become more prone to failure cascades caused by exogenous shocks. In our model, countries compensate for demand deficits by imposing export restrictions. To capture these, we construct higher-order trade dependency networks for the different crops and years. These networks reveal hidden dependencies between countries and allow to discuss policy implications.

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Rebekka Burkholz, Frank Schweitzer. 2019-01-17. International crop trade networks: The impact of shocks and cascades. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326%2Fab4864

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