Global supply chain of arable land use: Production-based and consumption-based trade imbalance

Abstract

Closely related to food supply, arable land use has been extensively studied, especially regarding booming global trade activities. However, the analysis on trade patterns of arable land use, particularly in terms of intermediate use and final demand, is still lacking. To shed light on the complex arable land use relationships among economies, the global supply chain of arable land use is intensively explored in the present work by a systems multi-regional input-output analysis for the year of 2010, with focus on the trade patterns from the perspective of production and consumption. Global arable land use embodied in international trade is estimated near one third the global arable land use, and that embodied in intermediate use is almost twice that embodied in final demand. Arable land use trade patterns are noted in terms of production-based imports/exports and consumption-based imports/exports. Most notably, Mainland China is shown as the leading production-dominated importer. With regard to other large economies, Canada is found as a production-oriented exporter, in contrast to Australia as a consumption-oriented exporter. Japan is identified as a production-oriented importer, while the United States is a consumption-oriented importer. As heavy trade imbalance is revealed prevailing not only between countries and regions but also between intermediate products and final goods, the study to explore global supply chains of arable land use can provide essential policy making implications for security and sustainability in arable land use and food supply on both global and regional scales.