GCRI · Trade and Strategic Resources
Food and energy trade
Many countries import much of their staple food, fertiliser or fuel. Supply shocks, export restrictions and price spikes in a few exporters reach importers through prices and availability, hitting poor households and import-dependent states hardest. This page sets out how food and energy trade transmits shocks, how import dependence is measured, and what evidence serves the ministries and agencies that manage supply.
How the work runs.
Corridor and chokepoint monitor
Food and energy trade · Corridor A · Week 23
- Transit time29days4Alert
- Freight index22223Watch
- Vessels rerouted54this weekWatch
- Inventory cover26daysNormal
Corridors
red: disrupted
Time to recover vs time to survive
by critical input
| Fertiliser | Strait | 13 | 3 | Short |
| Fuel | Strait | 3 | 6 | Covered |
| Semiconductors | Port hub | 15 | 15 | Short |
| Grain | Corridor A | 5 | 8 | Covered |
Fig.Corridor and chokepoint monitor: example names and illustrative values, not a record or a live system.
Food and energy trade: how the risk develops.
Commodity security and import dependencies. The dossier below sets out how the risk develops, what is measured, where the data come from, how it is modelled and who decides.
Exports are concentrated
A few countries supply most traded wheat, maize, rice, vegetable oils and fertilisers, and a few supply most traded oil and gas. A shock in one exporter affects many importers.
Export restrictions amplify spikes
When prices rise, exporters may restrict sales to protect domestic supply. Each restriction tightens the world market and can trigger others.
Energy feeds food
Natural gas is the main input to nitrogen fertiliser, and fuel drives farming and transport. Energy price shocks pass into food prices with a lag.
Import bills strain finances
Higher prices and weaker currencies raise import bills for food and fuel. Countries with limited reserves may cut imports or subsidies, passing shocks to households.
Energy now in the Strait of Malacca.
Night lights, population density and crop greenness over the Strait of Malacca, from NASA GIBS. Each layer carries its own date.
The interactive map needs JavaScript; the layer list and sources are below.
Layers 3
Energy now, for this page
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed
- Source
- VIIRS Black Marble (VNP46A2) (NASA LAADS DAAC)
- Provider
- NASA LAADS DAAC
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite radiance, corrected for moonlight and atmosphere
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-12
- Resolution
- about 500 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite night-time radiance for the date shown; lights are a proxy for electricity use and outages, not a measurement of supply or access.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Estimated
- Source
- Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (NASA SEDAC (CIESIN, Columbia University))
- Provider
- NASA SEDAC (CIESIN, Columbia University)
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
- Vintage
- null; Census-based estimate, static (2020)
- Resolution
- about 1 km grid
- Uncertainty
- Census-based estimate of people per square kilometre in 2020, shown as exposure context; not a count of people affected by any hazard.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed (clouds leave gaps)
- Source
- MODIS Terra NDVI (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite index; clouds leave gaps
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-13
- Resolution
- about 250 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite greenness index over the 8 days to the date shown; an indicator of crop and pasture condition, not a yield estimate or a food security warning.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed
- Source
- VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite image
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-14
- Resolution
- about 250 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite image. Satellite or model raster as the provider publishes it. Clouds, swath gaps and retrieval error leave gaps and noise; values are indicators, not measurements at a place.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Modelled (latest year GIBS publishes)
- Source
- MODIS Terra and Aqua land cover (MCD12Q1) (NASA LP DAAC)
- Provider
- NASA LP DAAC
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- yearly; Satellite classification; latest year GIBS publishes
- Newest at build
- 2024-01-01
- Resolution
- about 500 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite land cover classes for the year shown, including croplands; a classification with known errors, not a farm register.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Modelled (latest month GIBS publishes)
- Source
- MERRA-2 (NASA GMAO / GES DISC)
- Provider
- NASA GMAO / GES DISC
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- monthly; Reanalysis model; latest month GIBS publishes
- Newest at build
- 2026-07-01
- Resolution
- about 2 km grid
- Uncertainty
- Reanalysis model estimate of monthly mean incoming sunlight over land; an indicator of solar resource, not a site yield assessment.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
Keyboard, with the map focused
Hold Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll to zoom
Latest available
NASA GIBS / EOSDIS · ASTER GDEM (METI, NASA) · Blue Marble (NASA) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Natural Earth
Loading the latest NASA imagery.
Drag to move. Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll, pinch or the buttons to zoom; hover for the values under the pointer; reset returns to the region.
Energy now, framed on the Strait of Malacca.Satellite and model products as NASA publishes them, each with its own date. They are indicators, not assessments of any place.
Data: NASA GIBS · ASTER GDEM · Blue Marble · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Natural Earth · NASA EONET · NASA JPL OPERA DIST-ALERTSources and licences
- We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- VIIRS Black Marble night-time lights, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; distributed by the NASA Level-1 and Atmosphere Archive and Distribution System (LAADS DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University. 2018. Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11. NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). doi:10.7927/H49C6VHW. CC BY 4.0
- MODIS land products (vegetation indices, gross primary production, land cover), NASA LP DAAC and LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- VIIRS near-real-time products (flood, land surface temperature, snow cover, corrected reflectance), NASA LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- MERRA-2 reanalysis, NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office; distributed by the NASA GES DISC; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- ASTER GDEM is a product of METI and NASA (ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003, NASA LP DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). Cite as: NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Spacesystems and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team (2019). ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003. doi:10.5067/ASTER/ASTGTM.003. NASA open data
- Made with Natural Earth. Free vector and raster map data @ naturalearthdata.com. Public domain
- © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via NASA GIBS (coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). ODbL
- Blue Marble, NASA Earth Observatory; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- Context on the globe and flat map: coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names from NASA GIBS reference layers (OpenStreetMap data, ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors); Blue Marble imagery as an optional base; 3D terrain and the elevation read-out from the ASTER GDEM elevation colour index (5 m to 200 m classes, exaggerated for legibility). Boundaries are drawn as published and imply no position on any territory.
- Live events: NASA Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker (EONET); events are indicative and keep their original source links.
- Observed (EO): NASA JPL OPERA DIST-ALERT (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026). We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
- NASA GIBS: We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
- Past year, daily temperature (ERA5 via Open-Meteo): Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
- Past year, daily temperature and sunshine (NASA POWER): These data were obtained from the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) POWER Project funded through the NASA Earth Science/Applied Science Program..
- Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (https://open-meteo.com/), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Optional layers (10 sources in the layer list: live, forecast, observed and context) print their provider credit on the map and here when switched on; forecasts are model output and derived indices are estimates.
Layers and dates
- Night-time lights, daily: VIIRS Black Marble (VNP46A2), NASA LAADS DAAC · 12 Oct 2026
- Population density, 2020: Population: CIESIN, Columbia University, Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (2018), NASA SEDAC, CC BY 4.0 · static
- Vegetation greenness (NDVI), rolling 8 days: MODIS Terra NDVI, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
- True colour: VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
- Land cover type (IGBP), yearly: MODIS Terra and Aqua land cover (MCD12Q1), NASA LP DAAC · 2024
- Incoming sunlight at the surface over land, monthly mean: MERRA-2, NASA GMAO / GES DISC · July 2026
Food and energy trade move together under stress.
- FoodCouplingExport restrictions and price spikes transmit food shocks.What to watchRestrictions in force
- EnergyCouplingGas prices move fertiliser and food production costs.What to watchGas to fertiliser price pass-through
- HealthCouplingImport-dependent poor households feel price spikes first.What to watchFood share of household spending
Trade transmission analyses are designed for the Strategic Systems series. AMIS monitors staple markets and the IEA tracks energy security; the page uses their data with their dates.
- Import dependence data for food and fuel.
- Cases of joint food and energy shocks.
A shock through an input-output economy.
A loss of output in one sector propagates through the technical coefficients to its suppliers and customers, and recovers at the rate you set; the coefficients are teaching values, not national accounts. Teaching model with stated illustrative values, not a prediction. The map on this page shows The Strait of Malacca; the model itself is not tied to a place.
Controls
- Sector hit first (position in the list)
- 0
- Size of the shock
- 30% of its output
- Duration of the shock
- 30 days
- Recovery rate
- 0.08 per day
- Days simulated
- 180 days
Readouts
- Output lost over the run
- 0.86% of a year’s output
- Total over direct (multiplier)
- 1.75 times
- Most affected other sector
- Transport
- Its peak inoperability
- 2.8%
Numbers, methods and sources
| Sector | Peak inoperability (%) | Output weight (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Farming | 30.38 | 22.1 |
| Fertiliser and inputs | 2.64 | 17.8 |
| Food processing | 1.18 | 11.0 |
| Transport | 2.81 | 11.1 |
| Wholesale and retail | 1.29 | 19.1 |
| Energy | 2.41 | 18.9 |
Methods
- Input-output analysis Leontief (1936); Miller and Blair (2009), Input-Output Analysis, Cambridge University Press
- Inoperability input-output model Haimes and Jiang (2001), Journal of Infrastructure Systems 7
- Dynamic inoperability and recovery Lian and Haimes (2006), Systems Engineering 9
- Uncertainty fan (parameter Monte Carlo) Spiegelhalter, Pearson and Short (2011), Visualising uncertainty about the future, Science 333
- One-at-a-time sensitivity (tornado) Saltelli and others (2008), Global Sensitivity Analysis: The Primer, Wiley
Data
The model runs on the teaching values set by the controls. To calibrate it for a place, read it against these admitted layers and series, which this page’s map can draw:
- Seaports Natural Earth
- Maritime chokepoints Nexus (named straits and canals at their published coordinates)
- Railways Natural Earth
- Major roads Natural Earth
Across the six pillars, led by Nexus Consortium
- Experiments Labs
- Built in Trade and Strategic Resources in Foundry
- Tested at Trade and Strategic Resources in Universe
- Codified in Industry, Trade and Supply Chains in Standards
- Published in Trade and Strategic Resources in Reports
- Taught in Faculty of Finance and Economics in Academy
What is measured, and how well.
Each indicator carries its unit, its cadence, the kind of source behind it and the evidence label a value would carry. No values are shown: a programme supplies them under its own authority.
| Indicator | Unit | Cadence | Source type | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cereal import dependency ratio | percent of domestic supply imported | annual | FAO food balance data | ESTIMATED |
| Food import bill | share of merchandise exports | annual | Trade statistics | Published statistics |
| Net energy imports | percent of energy use | annual | Energy balances | Published statistics |
| Food and fertiliser export restrictions in force | count and share of traded calories | monthly | Export restriction trackers | REPORTED |
| International food price index | index points | monthly | FAO Food Price Index | Published statistics |
| Exporter concentration for staple imports | Herfindahl-Hirschman index | annual | Bilateral trade data | ESTIMATED |
Model food and energy trade as a system. Run the cascade.
Assembled from the Nexus Standards area profile Supply chain and trade risk: the hazards it names, the systems and sectors that carry the loss, the controls that dampen it and the data that observe it. Choose the components, pick an initiating hazard and step through the cascade. The Map view places the run on an example geography with open data. Every coupling weight is a stated assumption you can change. A teaching model, not a forecast, an assessment or a certification. To model a place of your own choosing, open the full System Builder.
Hazards
- Dam failure
- River flood (set off downstream)
- Flash flood (set off downstream)
- Mass displacement (set off downstream)
- Widespread power outage (set off downstream)
- Water supply shortfall (set off downstream)
Systems and couplings
- Supply chain and trade risk
- Food security and nutrition risk Cascade
- Oceans and coasts risk standards Exposure
- Geopolitical and security risk Common driver
- Cyber and digital risk standards Cascade
Controls
NS-0Constitution and principlesNS-3Risk record UNIs (grammar, legacy crosswalk, allocation authority)NS-9Contextual UNIs (deployments, instances, programme instances)NS-10Policies and clauses (machine-readable obligations: definition, binding, evaluation and enforcement)NS-11Verification and monitoring (evidence, attestations, zero-trust conformance observation)NS-12Software, model and AI/ML artefacts (supply chain, model cards, dataset sheets)NRS-H60Hazard family: Supply-chain and flow disruption (NHS-1 sys.supply-chain)NRS-X4Trade, transport and supply chains riskNRS-H89Hazard family: Transport network disruption (NHS-1 infra.mobility)NRS-K38Domain pack profile: Supply chain trade (DOMAIN-038)NRS-H43Hazard family: Livestock and aquaculture epizootics (NHS-1 health.animal-health)NRS-M10Method fabric: Markets, trade and supply chains
Observation
- IMF PortWatch port activity and chokepoint disruptions (listed for reference)
- Global Supply Chain Pressure Index (listed for reference)
- OECD Data Explorer (SDMX API) (listed for reference)
- World Bank Open Data and World Development Indicators API (listed for reference)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global exports
- Passenger and freight volumes, by mode of transport
Example geography
- The Strait of Malacca: 227 hexagonal cells
- Night lights tonight, outages (VIIRS Day/Night Band), NASA GIBS
- Surface water through cloud, 30 m (OPERA DSWx-S1 radar), NASA GIBS
- Rain rate, last half hour (IMERG), NASA GIBS
- Surface soil moisture (SMAP), NASA GIBS
Where the evidence comes from.
Named public datasets and institutional records, each with its licence class. Sources by agreement are used only under their terms and never republished.
| Source | What it gives | Licence class |
|---|---|---|
| FAOSTAT | Production, trade and food balances by country and commodity | Open, CC BY 4.0 |
| AMIS Market Monitor (FAO and partners) | Supply, demand and policy information for wheat, maize, rice and soybeans | Public, AMIS terms |
| IFPRI Food and Fertilizer Export Restrictions Tracker | Export restrictions by country and product | Public, licence to check |
| IEA World Energy Balances | Energy supply, trade and use by country | Licence per product (to check) |
| JODI oil and gas data | Monthly oil and gas production, trade and stocks | Free, JODI terms |
The sector signature of food and energy trade.
The sectors food and energy trade touches and how strongly they depend on each other: what a study has to observe and model together.
Signature
Energy and Food
Energy gives food fertiliser, machinery and cold chains (0.5): the strongest relations between the sectors this subject joins.
W · E · I · F · H · B
- Sectors
- 4 of 6
- Relations
- 6 of 15
- Coupling
- 0.46 share of total
Strongest relations in play
- Energy → Infrastructure · power for transport and telecoms0.8
- Water → Energy · cooling water and hydropower0.6
- Water → Food · irrigation0.8
- Infrastructure → Water · pipes, dams and treatment works0.6
Who decides, and what the evidence serves.
Trade and Strategic Resources prepares evidence. The decisions below are taken by the authorities named, under their own rules, and never by the platform.
| Who decides | The question | Evidence this page serves |
|---|---|---|
| Ministries of agriculture, trade and energy | How to diversify suppliers and manage strategic reserves | Dependence profiles; concentration analyses |
| Ministries of finance and central banks | How to plan for import bill shocks | Import bill and price evidence |
| International organisations | How to coordinate responses to export restrictions | Restriction trackers and market monitors |
Outputs this topic produces
- Import dependence profiles for food, fertiliser and fuel
- Exporter concentration analyses for staple imports
- Price transmission studies from world to local markets
- Evidence notes on export restriction episodes
How food and energy trade is modelled, measured and tested.
The model, its assumptions, its data and its uncertainty, in the form a scientist or engineer would check. Structures follow published methods. The values drawn are illustrative, not findings.
System model
The couplings between the systems in food and energy trade: signs of influence, a reinforcing and a balancing loop, and cross-links where stress jumps.
What experts ask about commodity trade.
- Which countries depend on few exporters for staples, fertilisers or fuels?
- How do export restrictions, route closures or harvest failures pass through to domestic prices?
- How large are stocks, and who holds them?
- How are food and energy markets linked through fertilisers, transport fuels and biofuels?
- Which households are most exposed to price spikes, and how do they cope?
How food and energy shocks travel.
Global markets for staple grains and oilseeds are supplied by relatively few major exporters, and international trade in some staples is a small share of production, which makes world prices sensitive to shifts in export supply. When major exporters restrict sales to protect domestic consumers, world prices can rise sharply, and other exporters may follow, an effect documented in past food price crises.
Food and energy are tightly linked. Nitrogen fertiliser production uses natural gas as feedstock and energy; farming, processing and transport use fuel; and biofuel policies tie some crops to energy markets. An energy price shock therefore raises food production costs, with a lag.
Exposure is unequal. Households that spend a large share of income on food are hit hardest by price increases. Import-dependent countries with limited foreign exchange may struggle to pay for imports when prices rise and their currencies weaken at the same time.
Methods and their limits.
- 01
Trade dependency analysis
Measures of import concentration by product and partner. Re-exports and informal trade can distort the picture.
- 02
Price transmission models
Time-series models of how world prices pass to domestic markets using econometrics. Transmission varies with policy and market structure.
- 03
Stock and balance sheets
Estimates of production, consumption and stocks. Private and some public stock data are not published.
- 04
Scenario analysis
Testing combined shocks such as a harvest failure during an energy price spike. Scenarios illustrate, they do not forecast.
Food and energy trade data are revised often and differ between sources; analyses state which sources and vintages were used.
How it is studied, and what the methods cannot say.
- 01EconometricsPrice transmission · Effects of trade measures · Disruption impacts on outputApplied here
- 02Network science and contagionTrade network centrality · Multi-tier dependency mapping · Disruption propagationApplied here
- 03Optimisation and operations researchRerouting under chokepoint closure · Strategic stock sizing · Sourcing portfolio designApplied here
- 04Geospatial information systemsFacility hazard overlays · Sourcing region deforestation · Corridor mappingApplied here
Where this page’s references lead.
The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.
Questions and answers.
What is import dependency?
Why do export restrictions matter?
How do energy prices affect food?
Does the platform forecast food or energy prices?
Why include fertilisers?
Is humanitarian food aid covered?
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