By Pratima Singh, Head of the Food Imperative at Economist Enterprise
05 May 2026, London: Food security is no longer considered solely an agricultural issue, but a matter of national security. Recent disruptions to global trade, from pandemic-related bottlenecks to geopolitical or climate-driven shocks, have exposed the fragility of our food systems. Governments have responded by treating food production as a strategic priority, and rightly so.
Pratima Singh, Head of the Food Imperative at Economist Enterprise
Yet the policy debate around strengthening food systems has often focused on tariffs while ignoring a far more significant obstacle quietly undermining global food security: the fragmented maze of non-tariff barriers that makes food systems less affordable, less resilient and less secure.
New data from our inaugural Resilient Food Systems Index (RFSI), supported by Cargill, underscores this point. Countries that engage openly in agricultural trade consistently achieve stronger outcomes in diet quality and affordability.
The real challenge lies in the hidden obstacles that make trade unnecessarily costly, unpredictable, and difficult. Tariffs represent only a small fraction of the problem. Addressing these non-tariff related trade barriers holds the key to improving farmer’s access to markets and strengthening overall system resilience.
The hidden trade barriers
While tariffs dominate headlines, non-tariff barriers: standards, certifications, labelling rules, and regulatory requirements, create the real friction that constrains farmers and undermines food system resilience.
Our research has catalogued more than 1,800 distinct non-tariff measures currently applied across global food trade. Collectively, these measures form a complex maze that undermines farmers’ access to markets, increases costs for exporters and ultimately raises prices for consumers.
Many of these rules originated as legitimate protections for health, safety or the environment. Yet when they fragment across dozens of jurisdictions without consistency, they stop functioning as safeguards and become de facto trade barriers undermining farmers’ access to markets. These non-tariff related barriers are often overlooked, but they ultimately mean that farmers lose profitability, consumers lose affordability and the resilience of the food system is compromised.
The profitability issue
The consequences of limited market access are profound. Farmers sit at the centre of food system resilience. Without reliable access to markets and stable returns, they cannot invest in better seeds, more efficient irrigation or climate-resilient practices. Profitability is therefore the engine that drives innovation and underpins long-term food production.
Yet today, farmers face a dual challenge: they must reliably serve domestic consumers while also competing in export markets governed by rules that are often inconsistent, contradictory or arbitrary. This tension further constrains their ability to plan, invest and grow sustainably.
The goal is not total self-sufficiency, which can lead to inefficiency, higher prices and agricultural stagnation. Instead, nations should pursue strategic resilience: identifying which crops are essential to produce domestically, which can be efficiently sourced through trade, and where flexibility must be maintained to absorb shocks when they occur.
A path forward
Achieving a single global standard is a long-term ambition, not a near reality. But that’s not a reason for inaction; it’s an argument for starting somewhere, building momentum through regional coalitions, and treating every step toward regulatory clarity as progress worth making. Addressing the hidden barriers that undermine farmers’ access to markets, and ultimately weaken system resilience, requires smarter policy on several fronts.
Harmonising standards is a logical first step: a consistent baseline for food safety and quality creates the conditions for trade while maintaining consumer protections. Regional groupings offer a path, aligning standards where agreement already exists and expanding outward from there.
Developing countries face particular challenges in meeting export requirements, which means the emphasis must be on genuine capacity-building rather than rules that function as barriers. Their integration into global markets expands access to diverse foods and strengthens resilience across supply chains.
Domestically, the question of minimal viable production deserves more attention. Strategic resilience requires understanding what is best grown at home and what is more efficiently sourced globally; supporting domestic production where it is strategically advantageous, while enabling the global exchange that keeps diets diverse, affordable, and resilient.
Building functional markets as a cornerstone of resilience
When it comes to food security, a big question is whether we are willing to confront the non-tariff barriers that impede market access and undermine food system resilience. A functional, profitable and globally integrated market allows farmers to thrive, gives consumers access to affordable, nutritious food, and equips supply chains with the ability to absorb shocks without system-wide disruption.
Strategic domestic production combined with efficient global trade is the cornerstone of resilient food systems. Nations that implement policies recognising this dual necessity can deliver diets that are more nutritious, affordable and secure, all while ensuring that the people who grow the food are supported and incentivised to innovate.
Food security is now a matter of national security. Providing for a growing global population while withstanding intensifying climate shocks will require policymakers and industry leaders to pay serious attention not only to tariffs but to the hidden maze of regulations quietly undermining our food systems. Doing so can transform fragility into strength, protecting both the food on our plates and the livelihoods of those who grow it.
Global Agriculture is an independent international media platform covering agri-business, policy, technology, and sustainability. For editorial collaborations, thought leadership, and strategic communications, write to pr@global-agriculture.com
