Trade and Climate Change Implications for Food Security

The report argues that food security in mainland Southeast Asia is a complex, cross-cutting issue that cannot be addressed solely through agricultural policy. It examines how trade liberalization can stimulate economic growth and food access, while climate change threatens agricultural availability and stability through extreme weather events. Using Cambodia as a case study, the document highlights the vulnerability of agrarian economies to external shocks, such as the 2008 food crisis and the 200810 global recession. The author concludes that food security requires a holistic, participatory approach with a long-term vision, urging countries in the Mekong region to resist protectionist measures like rice cartels and to integrate climate adaptation into national planning.

• Mainland Southeast Asia produces rice in surplus and includes the world's largest rice suppliers, yet it maintains high undernourishment rates, with 200406 figures ranging from 13 percent in Vietnam to 25 percent in Cambodia.
• Trade liberalization can enhance food security by stimulating exports, generating economic growth, and increasing household incomes, though it may expose domestic markets to international price volatility.
• Climate change poses a significant threat to all four dimensions of food security in the Mekong region: availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability, particularly through rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns.
• The 2008 food crisis led some countries, including Vietnam and Cambodia, to impose rice export bans, and sparked a proposal for a rice cartel called the Organization of Rice Exporting Countries (OREC), which caused tension within ASEAN.
• In Cambodia, the garment industry demonstrates how free trade can improve food security by creating employment and generating remittances for rural families, although it also increases vulnerability to global economic downturns.
• Cambodia has implemented climate adaptation strategies through the National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA), prioritizing projects such as small-scale aquaculture, integrated household farming, and soil conservation to protect food security.
• The 2008 food crisis in Cambodia saw rice prices double and other food goods rise by 2070 percent, leading approximately 50 percent of households to cut back on food as a coping mechanism.
• The report recommends that food security be addressed through a holistic approach that integrates trade and climate issues, a participatory approach involving civil society organizations (CSOs), and a long-term vision including early awareness systems for external shocks.

APA

Schiavone, A. (2010). Trade and Climate Change Implications for Food Security. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/trade_climate_security_southeast_asia.pdf

Chicago

Schiavone, Antonio. Trade and Climate Change Implications for Food Security. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2010. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/trade_climate_security_southeast_asia.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Schiavone |first1=Antonio |title=Trade and Climate Change Implications for Food Security |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2010 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/trade_climate_security_southeast_asia.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{schiavone2010trade, author = {Schiavone, Antonio}, title = {{Trade and Climate Change Implications for Food Security}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2010}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/trade_climate_security_southeast_asia.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }