Agriculture in a more uncertain global trade environment

The global trade environment is more uncertain now than it has been for decades. In the short term, bilateral trade “wars” and the COVID-19 pandemic have added to longer-term uncertainties such as sporadic national policy responses to climate change, to the digital revolution, to up-scaled assertiveness and economic coercion by rapidly growing China, and to antiglobalization groups. The underlying concerns could be reduced through greater multilateral cooperation, but that has been in short supply in recent years, not least because of eroding support for globalization. This article re-examines the case for greater unilateral openness to agricultural trade in the wake of uneven economic growth and structural transformation as food systems respond to this increased uncertainty and to growing pressures for agriculture to become more sustainable and for food to be safer and more nutritious. The article concludes by pointing to better policy options than trade measures for achieving most national objectives—options that can simultaneously benefit the rest of the world in terms of easing natural resource and environmental stresses while supporting economic growth and reducing national and global poverty, food and nutrition insecurity, and inequalities in income, wealth, and health. © 2022 The Authors. Agricultural Economics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Association of Agricultural Economists.

COVID-19 pandemic and agriculture in Romania: effects on agricultural systems, compliance with restrictions and relations with authorities.

Like most economic sectors, agriculture has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was designed to understand the impact of the initial stages of the pandemic on the agricultural sector in Romania. A web-based research study of farmers was conducted using an online questionnaire. Participants (n = 148) were self-selected, by answering the questionnaire online. The results highlighted that the pandemic was having an impact on agricultural costs, labor, farm management and food security. Among the farmers who were asked to describe the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on delays with agricultural work, only 35.1% indicated that they had not registered delays. When farmers were asked if they anticipated a future increase in costs in agriculture as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, 45.9% of respondents felt that costs would increase. Fifty-seven percent of participants reported that they would continue to apply measures to reduce the impacts of the pandemic. Our findings and analysis indicated that agricultural systems were vulnerable and that the agricultural sector must be closely monitored and supported to maintain food security in times of crisis. For food security and better resilience of agri-food systems in Romania, the study identified needs for more automation and mechanization in farms, digital solutions for the public and private sector and continuous dialogue between farmers and authorities. We suggest the pandemic can be an opportunity for the reevaluation of agricultural production systems in Romania and beyond, and for the development of more innovative strategies, sustainable practices and digital solutions in agriculture. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12571-021-01239-8.

Improving the safety and security of fruits and vegetables during COVID-19 pandemic with postharvest handling.

The COVID-19 pandemic has damaged the world's economy during 2020-2021, reduced the purchasing power of households, partially restricted international movements and trade (including food products) and damaged horticultural production. This resulted in uncertainty in the food business and caused food supply shocks. According to some scientists, business people, and politicians, this situation is a forerunner and warning for humanity to change its lifestyle by focusing on sustainable measures to prevent natural ecosystems damage. In line with this, the present review article focused on the significant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on horticultural production and some prevention measures. It has been scientifically confirmed that the postharvest losses of fruits and vegetables reach around 10-15% in developed countries and about 20-40% in developing countries, higher in some specific crops. It is believed that reducing these losses can help the world fight food supply shocks during the COVID-19 pandemic and customary conditions to reduce the pressure on natural resources. Therefore, the present paper aimed to highlight some critical handling practices against food supply shocks.