title: Global maize trade and food security: implications from a social network model.
abstract: In this study, we developed a social network model of the global trade of maize: one of the most important food, feed, and industrial crops worldwide, and critical to food security. We used this model to analyze patterns of maize trade among nations, and to determine where vulnerabilities in food security might arise if maize availability was decreased due to factors such as diversion to nonfood uses, climatic factors, or plant diseases. Using data on imports and exports from the U.N. Commodity Trade Statistics Database for each year from 2000 to 2009 inclusive, we summarized statistics on volumes of maize trade between pairs of nations for 217 nations. There is evidence of market segregation among clusters of nations; with three prominent clusters representing Europe, Brazil and Argentina, and the United States. The United States is by far the largest exporter of maize worldwide, whereas Japan and the Republic of Korea are the largest maize importers. In particular, the star-shaped cluster of the network that represents U.S. maize trade to other nations indicates the potential for food security risks because of the lack of trade these other nations conduct with other maize exporters. If a scenario arose in which U.S. maize could not be exported in as large quantities, maize supplies in many nations could be jeopardized. We discuss this in the context of recent maize ethanol production and its attendant impacts on food prices elsewhere worldwide.
authors: Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Michigan State University, MI, USA.
authors: Felicia
authors: F
authors: Wu
authors: Hasan
authors: H
authors: Guclu
mesh_terms: D005523:Food Supply; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012944:Social Support; D003313:Zea mays
keywords: Food security; global trade; maize; network models
references: PLoS One. 2012;7(9):e45151
references: 23049773
references: Int J Occup Environ Health. 2012 Jan-Mar;18(1):53-65
references: 22550697
references: N Engl J Med. 2007 Jul 26;357(4):370-9
references: 17652652
references: Lancet. 2007 Sep 15;370(9591):923-4
references: 17876907
references: N Engl J Med. 2008 May 22;358(21):2249-58
references: 18499567
references: Science. 2011 Jun 3;332(6034):1154-5
references: 21636760
references: PLoS One. 2007 May 02;2(5):e401
references: 17476323
references: Nature. 2011 Oct 12;478(7369):337-42
references: 21993620
references: Nature. 2006 Jul 27;442(7101):448-52
references: 16642006
references: Nature. 2011 Oct 26;478(7370):450-1
references: 22031419
references: Science. 2011 Feb 25;331(6020):1013-4
references: 21273449