How Will the Global Food Landscape Accommodate Developing Countries’ Dietary Change under Urbanization?

Abstract

There has been a growing awareness of the dietary shift from traditional staples to animal-derived foods during the urbanization of developing countries. Less discussed is how the global food landscape will accommodate such changes in diet. Our study aims to use the GTAP (Global Trade Analysis Project) model to predict the future food landscape based on the dietary shift in developing countries, represented by China, India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, under a 2030 urbanization scenario. The results show that the average global outputs of fish, meat, and dairy products increase by 0.26–2.85%, along with an expansion in their trade volume by 2.10–13.95%, by 2030. To ensure that dietary changes can be met in developing countries, Asia and America need to strengthen their positions with respect to global food production share, while Africa is developing to become a non-negligible growing force. Accordingly, globalized food trade is characterized by a centralized export and, conversely, by a decentralized import, clearly indicating an expanding net-import tendency in populous developing countries. These findings highlight the adaptation scheme of global food production and trade patterns under a 2030 urbanization scenario, as urbanization accelerates dietary change in developing countries.