World Agricultural Trade Experiences Sizable Growth but Still Faces Barriers

Global agricultural trade, about $1 trillion in 2014, has risen 3.6 percent per year for the last two decades, facilitated by technological change, productivity gains, and trade liberalization. ERS researchers survey 20 years (1995-2014) of trends in world agricultural trade and summarize key policy issues that will confront decisionmakers and shape agricultural trade in the coming years.