Moving Towards Sustainable Agricultural Trade

The importance of agricultural trade today is multifaceted. It contributes to global food security by leveraging efficient production conditions in certain parts of the world. It also drives economic growth, providing income for farmers and agricultural businesses. Additionally, agricultural trade fosters international cooperation and can help stabilize markets by balancing supply and demand across borders. Trading agricultural products furthermore encourages technological and methodological advancements in farming by facilitating the spread of knowledge and new technologies. In sum, agricultural trade provides major leverage points to influence global sustainable development. On the other hand, agricultural trade also has several disadvantages. One major drawback is the potential dependence on imports, which can weaken local agriculture and lead to a loss of food sovereignty. Additionally, large agricultural exporters can exploit their market power to dictate prices and market conditions, disadvantaging smaller and less developed countries. Environmental concerns are also significant, intensive cultivation for export can lead to soil erosion, overuse of water, and loss of biodiversity. In this area of tension, the MATS project aims to propose courses of action for improved governance in global agricultural trade. However, this raises the question of what exactly sustainable agricultural trade means for the MATS partners and how we can jointly achieve this common goal. In a participatory process led by Fraunhofer ISI, consortium partners, MATS case studies and experts from the agri-food sector have defined a common MATS vision on sustainable agricultural trade and compiled measures that contribute to making this vision a reality. The iterative foresight process fostered exchange between experts from different countries, overcoming constraints in time and location. The results indicate that many of the potential improvements are rooted in agriculture itself.