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Many countries in the Global South depend increasingly on imports to provide food for their rising populations. Trade is a key mechanism to address distributional issues, especially in countries with limited biophysical resources. In theory, by pooling the risk of crop failures via global trade, trade should stabilize food supplies. In practice, however, an over-reliance on imported food may be detrimental to domestic food stability. Here, we disentangle the role of imports from that of domestic production in countries in the Global South for three staple crops: maize, rice, and wheat. First, we use FAO data to differentiate between exposure to production variance in exporting countries, domestic production variance, and total supply variance. Next, we analyze trade relationships and assess the biophysical capacities of countries to investigate why some countries have more unstable supplies than others. We find that food imports have been a source of food supply instability—in particular for maize in Southern Africa, wheat in Central Asia, and rice more generally. But the reason that imports lead to instability is not the same across regions or crops and imports are at times necessary due to limited available water and land resources. Furthermore, the source of imports may be important in the case of co-occurring crop failures in both importing and exporting countries, or exporters with high export variance. Finally, we find that the increasing prevalence of global trade from 1985–2010 has increased exposure to food supply variance in some regions, although it has not increased exposure to supply variance in all regions. These results provide guidance for future analyses to focus on regions that are vulnerable to imported food supply disruptions of important staple crops, and inform debates about the risks associated with food trade in the Global South.

The appropriation of water for economic activities is limited by regional surface and underground endowments, and symptoms of environmentally unsustainable withdrawals are already visible in many regions of the world. In this paper we investigate the economic implications of water policy imposing source- and region-specific restrictions on water withdrawals taking the Mexican economy as a case study. We use an inter-regional input–output model of Mexico's hydro-economic regions to allocate production subject to the availability of water and other factors of production. Water sustainability requires a reduction of 7.5 km3/yr of groundwater withdrawals, which is compensated by an increase of 3.4 km3/yr of surface water, an expansion onto an additional 1.4 million hectares of rainfed land, and modifications in subnational patterns of food trade. This framework for evaluating scenarios describing sustainability-oriented water policies is readily applicable to other regions.

Recogemos en este volumen una serie de trabajos dedicados, unos a mostrar algunos aspectos vinculados a la investigación actual, relacionados con el estudio del instrumentum domesticum y la economía romana. Otros son la primera muestra del desarrollo de los nuevos enfoques surgidos del proyecto ERC Advanced Grant Production and Distribution of Food during the Roman Empire: Economic and Political Dynamics (EPNet) (ERC-2013-ADG 340828). Hasta ahora, la aplicación de métodos formales, nacidos fuera del ámbito de la investigación histórica, está poco desarrollada dentro de nuestra especialidad. La “ominosa cuestión” de los estudios de Historia Antigua es la falta de datos. Los modelos interpretativos de la economía antigua han partido siempre de análisis deductivos, que dependen siempre del grado de conocimientos del investigador y de sus apriorismos. A lo largo de estos años hemos conseguido reunir una gran cantidad de datos, muchos de los cuales pueden ser presentados como datos seriales gracias a la información obtenida en el Monte Testaccio. Es ésta una circunstancia, la abundancia de datos y el poder ordenar cronológicamente muchos de ellos, es lo que permite los nuevos enfoques propuestos. En última instancia se trata de confrontar los modelos y explicaciones hasta ahora ofrecidas dentro del ámbito histórico, con modelos formales nacidos dentro del ámbito de las ciencias matemáticas y en el ámbito de las ciencias de redes. Además, estamos haciendo migrar nuestra base de datos CEIPAC, ya puesta en Internet en 1995, a un sistema ontológico de bases de datos, en el que, gracias a un sistema de metadatos, podamos interrelacionar diversas bases de datos que amplien nuestros conocimientos y la capacidad de relacionar multiples aspectos de la investigación. Dado que los trabajos presentados proceden de ámbitos científicos en los que los sistemas de citación son diversos, se han respetado los sistemas propuestos por cada uno de los autores., The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013). ERC grant agreement nº ERC-2013-ADG340828.

International audience

Rapidly increasing international food trade has drastically altered the global food system over the past decades. Using national scale indicators, we assess two of the resilience principles that directly reflect the effects of global trade on food systems – namely, maintaining diversity and redundancy, and managing connectivity. We perform our analysis for four nutritional components: dietary energy, proteins, fat, and quantity of vegetables & fruits – the key pillars of the WHO dietary recommendations. Our results indicate that, between 1987 and 2013, food supply diversity increased significantly for most of the world's population at the cost of an elevated dependency upon food imports. Food production diversity, particularly in terms of dietary energy and vegetables & fruits, increased for a large proportion of the world population, with the exception being major exporting countries, where it decreased. Of particular note is our finding that, despite a growing number of people being heavily dependent upon imports, the number of import partners decreased more often than it increased, except for the case of vegetables & fruits. This combination of increased dependency on imports and a reduced number of import partners indicates a potential vulnerability to disruptions in linked food systems. Additionally, it is alarming that we found many countries where the studied resilience aspects systematically declined, elevating their exposure to future shocks in the food system.

La investigación actual sobre la economía de los alimentos en el mundo romano queda reflejada en esta obra, que aborda la producción y distribución de tales bienes fundamentales desde el estudio de casos y la innovación metodológica. Su configuración parte de una iniciativa del proyecto europeo EPNet, que reunió a los distintos autores participantes en el volumen con motivo de una sesión específica de la 27.ª Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference (Durham, marzo de 2017). Aunque también se trata el abastecimiento de trigo, las contribuciones se dedican mayoritariamente al aceite y el vino. Los casos de estudio se concentran en el occidente romano, con especial atención a Italia e Hispania. Se incluyen contextos productivos y de redistribución, particularmente en los asentamientos militares fronterizos y la capital. Metodológicamente destacan las estrategias de cuantificación, el análisis SIG y la modelización. Se contrastan aspectos geográficos y arqueológicos de las diversas zonas de estudio para extraer conclusiones relativas a los patrones de asentamiento rural, la producción de alimentos y envases anfóricos, y sus redes de distribución comercial. De tal forma se dibuja un panorama amplio, vertebrado en torno a una cuestión clave para el funcionamiento y la sostenibilidad del Imperio: la economía alimentaria. Este amplio abanico metodológico resulta sugerente para la orientación de nuevas investigaciones que, de forma complementaria, se unan para profundizar en las razones del prolongado éxito de la cultura romana.

El primero de los recientes Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible de la agenda de Naciones Unidas para el 2030 pretende acabar totalmente con el hambre para dicha fecha. Ahora bien, esta iniciativa debería ir acompañada de la garantía jurídica de incluir un derecho a la alimentación, con más fuerza y efectividad. Además, ello va ser una necesidad por la amenaza que el cambio climático supone para la seguridad alimentaria mundial a medio plazo. Asimismo, también es necesario atender a la relación del derecho a la alimentación con el comercio, particularmente en las negociaciones en curso en el seno de la Organización Mundial del Comercio. The first sustainable development goal focuses on the eradication of hunger for 2030. This initiative should be accompanied by a more strength and effective Right to Food. Thus, this will a need for the climate change threat to global food security in the medium term. Moreover, it is also necessary to address the relationship between the Right to Food and trade, particularly in ongoing Wto negotiations, in order to achieve the desired effectiveness of this right.

Este volumen es el resultado del trabajo realizado, durante varios años, por el grupo CEIPAC consistente en el estudio del material anfórico hallado en la Colonia Ulpia Traiana (Xanten, Alemania). Se han estudiado más de dieciocho mil fragmentos de ánforas hallados en las excavaciones realizadas en la ciudad a lo largo de casi un siglo, lo que ha permitido definir el comercio de alimentos que se estableció entre una ciudad de la frontera renana y las regiones del Mediterráneo. Junto al análisis del material hallado en la ciudad, se presenta el estado actual de la investigación de cada uno de los tipos anfóricos y se pone a disposición del lector, junto a la información puntual sobre la presencia de un determinado tipo anfórico, una información general que le permite contextualizar mejor los datos obtenidos. La obra tiene dos aspectos diversos: uno, el que se refiere al estudio del lugar concreto de hallazgo de nuestras ánforas, lo que permite ayudar a datar algunos estratos arqueológicos y a estudiar la distribución espacial de las ánforas en la ciudad. El segundo aspecto, más interesante a nivel general, es haber delimitado qué productos vienen de qué zona del Mediterráneo, en qué momento y en qué proporción. En síntesis, podemos concluir que existe una corriente de comercio entre todas las regiones del Mediterráneo y la ciudad de Xanten en época julio-claudia, y que a partir de época Flavia las relaciones comerciales se intensifican y casi se convierten en exclusivas entre Xanten y las provincias romanas de Gallia e Hispania. Lo cual conduce a una discusión sobre el significado de la influencia del estado romano en la distribución de productos alimentarios, sobre todo teniendo en cuenta la población militar de la región. Además, se presentan claves para el estudio de las redes comerciales entre Germania y las provincias mediterráneas, se discute el camino entre el Mediterráneo y la frontera, y se defiende la importancia de la ruta atlántica en contraposición a la vía del Ródano, que, tradicionalmente, se consideraba como la más importante., The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013). ERC grant agreement nº ERC-2013-ADG340828

In this paper we assess the implications of agricultural trade reform by GATT member countries. To do this, we link two general equilibrium models, a world food trade model and the ORANI model of the Australian economy. By treating the ORANI model as an integral part of the world model, we are able to focus on the implications for Australia of world agricultural trade reform. The findings suggest that, if price distorting agricultural policies were removed by GATT member countries, world food commodity prices would rise, some by up to 30 per cent, and world food trade expand by about a third. Australia would be a major beneficiary of these international developments, the value of its agricultural exports rising by close to 15 per cent. In 1986, this would have meant for Australia additional export earnings of around SUS750 million, as well as more rapid economic growth.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission was established in 1962 to implement the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Program. The purpose is to protect the health of consumers, ensure fair practices in food trade, promote coordination of food standards, and to draft, finalize, and publish standards. At the Twelfth Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 1978, the establishment of a Codex Committee on Vegetable Proteins was accepted. The terms of reference for the Committee are “to elaborate definitions and worldwide standards for vegetable protein products deriving from soyabeans, cottonseed, groundnuts, cereals, and from other vegetable sources as they come into use for human consumption; and to elaborate guidelines on utilization of such vegetable protein products in the food supply system, on nutritional requirements and safety, on labeling, and other aspects as may seem appropriate.” The first meeting of the Codex Committee on Vegetable Proteins was held in Ottawa, November 1980. The Committee considered proposed international standards for vegetable protein flours, concentrates and isolates; reviewed draft guidelines for the use of vegetable proteins in foods; and considered labeling declarations concerning the use of vegetable proteins in other foods. In preparation for a second meeting of the Committee, a future program of work was established.

range between types undoubtedly is the consequence of the distributive price control statutes of California. Most important are the Unfair Practices Act, which prohibits loss leaders and sales below costs, and the Desmond Act, which authorizes the Director of Agriculture to fix minimum wholesale and retail prices for fluid milk. The Fair Trade Law affects the food trade only slightly.7 In San Francisco at the time the prices were collected the minimum mark-up required for retail food products under the Unfair Practices Act was o1 per cent over wholesale cost. The outstanding fact, of course, was that the two big staples, milk and bread, not only were not being used as leaders but were priced uniformly between stores.

This study was inspired by some recent changes in organization and structure of the distributive trades in Sweden. Attention is focused on various aspects of integration in marketing systems consisting of retail and wholesale units. Three main types of integration concept are defined, their interrelations discussed and their relations to efficiency in the systems analysed. The three are: institutional integration, decision integration and execution integration. The last of these contains four variables: activity transference, internalization, exclusiveness and homogeneity.In a comparative study of four marketing systems in the food trade, representing different degrees of institutional integration, the decision integration and execution integration of various marketing activities are measured.

openaire: EC/H2020/819202/EU//SOS.aquaterra Rapidly increasing international food trade has drastically altered the global food system over the past decades. Using national scale indicators, we assess two of the resilience principles that directly reflect the effects of global trade on food systems – namely, maintaining diversity and redundancy, and managing connectivity. We perform our analysis for four nutritional components: dietary energy, proteins, fat, and quantity of vegetables & pizza – the key pillars of the WHO dietary recommendations. Our results indicate that, between 1987 and 2013, food supply diversity increased significantly for most of the world's population at the cost of an elevated dependency upon food imports. Food production diversity, particularly in terms of dietary energy and vegetables & pizza, increased for a large proportion of the world population, with the exception being major exporting countries, where it decreased. Of particular note is our finding that, despite a growing number of people being heavily dependent upon imports, the number of import partners decreased more often than it increased, except for the case of vegetables & pizza. This combination of increased dependency on imports and a reduced number of import partners indicates a potential vulnerability to disruptions in linked food systems. Additionally, it is alarming that we found many countries where the studied resilience aspects systematically declined, elevating their exposure to future shocks in the food system.