Agricultural Market Competitiveness in the Context of Climate Change: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Climate change poses a significant threat to food security, poverty alleviation, and the economic growth generated by agriculture. In 2020, it is anticipated that the massive impacts of climate change, warfare, pests, and spreading infectious diseases will jeopardize food production, damage the supply chains, and over-stretch people’s ability to obtain nutritious foods at affordable/reasonable prices, threatening agricultural markets’ competitiveness. The study compiles information on climate change, competitiveness, and literature that links these phenomena to agricultural market competitiveness. The objective is to investigate the peer-reviewed and gray literature on the subject and explore the link between climate change and agricultural market competitiveness. Moreover, this study aims to find an appropriate technique to validate this assumed relationship. The findings indicate that there is currently no comprehensive measure/composite index for assessing the agricultural sector’s global competitiveness. The majority of used indicators of agricultural competitiveness do not account for the effects of climate change on agricultural market competitiveness. The study concludes by outlining implications/justifications for developing a global agricultural competitiveness index incorporating climate change impacts. The index is essential to maximize the potential of agricultural markets for optimizing the agricultural sectors’ competitiveness, and also to ensure global food security.