After pandemic: Resilience of grain trade network from a port perspective on developed and developing countries

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global grain trade, raising concerns about the resilience of international agricultural supply chains, yet a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of global grain trade network is still lacking. This study used 699,608 lines of grain trade flow data from 249 countries and 1,029 ports to reconstruct the near real-time grain trade network and integrated state-of-the-art network structure parameters (β coefficient) to assess the network resilience from 2020 to 2021. Our findings revealed that the nonlinear β coefficient indicates higher global grain network resilience compared to studies using traditional indicators like freight volume and degree. Developed countries' higher connectivity and better trade alliances contributed to their resilience to pandemic shocks, while many ports in smaller developing countries faced ongoing challenges. This study offers insights into recovery pathways and strategies to revitalize the international agricultural industry and ensure global food security.