Global access to food crops is affected by transport costs and economic inequality
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Producing enough food is only one part of ensuring global food security. A new study shows that transport networks and economic inequality are important factors in determining global food accessibility. A research team led by the University of Oulu, together with researchers from Aalto University and Pellervo Economic Research (PTT), Finland, developed a new spatial accessibility framework to examine how effectively global transport systems connect food supply with demand under different economic and disruption scenarios.
Global food security depends not only on how much food is produced, but also on the ability of transport networks to deliver food where it is needed. To better understand this challenge, the researchers combined global data on food production, demand, transport infrastructure and transport costs to evaluate how transport systems influence food accessibility worldwide.
The analysis was based on the dietary energy supply and demand of six globally important crop groups: temperate cereals (barley, wheat and rye), maize, rice, tropical cereals (millet and sorghum), tropical roots (cassava) and pulses. These account for roughly half of all food calories traded internationally.
The study examined three scenarios: equal transport costs, economic differences between regions and disruptions caused by food production losses and infrastructure hazards.
“The study highlights that food availability alone does not guarantee food accessibility. Transport costs and economic inequalities can limit access to food even when sufficient supplies exist,” says researcher Terhi Ala-Hulkko from the University of Oulu.
The analysis showed that the current transport network is unable to fully balance global food supply and demand. Although food accessibility shortages occur in many regions, they are most pronounced in parts of Asia and Africa.
Economic inequality appears to further exacerbate this imbalance and was the most influential factor affecting food accessibility among the scenarios explored in this study. When differences in income levels and food expenditure were considered, both food surpluses and unmet demand increased simultaneously. This suggests that food may be available within the system but cannot always be transported efficiently to where it is needed.
Most unmet demand was concentrated in Asia, particularly in South, East and Southeast Asia. In Africa, the results suggest that a large share of domestic food production is theoretically accessible when transport costs are assumed to be equal. However, when the higher transport costs faced by many African regions were considered, substantially more food remained undelivered, indicating that transport costs themselves can be a major barrier to food accessibility.
Research director Ossi Kotavaara from the University of Oulu highlights, “As transport networks are the backbone of the global food delivery system, improving food security is therefore not only about producing enough food in a sustainable way, but also about ensuring that food can reach the people who need it. This means paying attention to road and maritime transport infrastructure, transport costs and the economic inequalities that together shape access to food.”
The paper is published in the Journal of Cleaner Production.
Publication details
Terhi Ala-Hulkko et al, Global accessibility of food ecosystem services under economic inequality, food production, and infrastructure shocks, Journal of Cleaner Production (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2026.148783
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University of Oulu
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Global access to food crops is affected by transport costs and economic inequality (2026, August 20)
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