International Agricultural Trade
The import and consumption of agricultural and forestry products in the European Union and Germany often entails profound consequences for local land use and ecosystems in the countries of origin. Germany's "footprint" in terms of acreage required for cultivation, deforestation, and biodiversity losses is substantially larger in the Global South than in Germany itself.
Last edited: 16. March 2026
Publications of the working group
- Discussion paper "How can international agricultural trade contribute to biodiversity conservation, climate protection and food security? In favour of coherent governance of consumption, production and trade" (2025) | German Only
- Digital dossier "Agricultural trade and consumption" (2025) | German Only
While the European Union's Green Deal is tightening standards for agricultural products grown within the EU, the share of imports is increasing without any aim at sustainable production in the countries of origin. The planned statement intends to address this discrepancy and initiate a discussion on the equitable use of resources.
Global land use is increasingly shaped by international agricultural trade. The surface area associated with globally traded products is expanding rapidly, and the significance of foreign trade of agricultural products has also risen within the European Union and Germany. Furthermore, global agricultural trade is characterised by increasingly complex interdependencies and supply chains. This often entails profound environmental consequences for the products' countries of origin. The working group analyses the conditions under which international agricultural trade can contribute positively to biodiversity protection, climate protection and food security.
Spokesperson of the working group
Prof. Dr.
Katrin Böhning-Gaese ▸
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
- Election year 2015
Further members of the working group
- Prof Dr Almut Arneth, KIT Karlsruhe
- Dr Thomas Kastner, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt
- Prof. Dr Alexandra-Maria Klein, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg
- Prof Dr Thomas Potthast, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen
- Prof Dr Matin Qaim ML, University of Bonn
- Prof Dr Katrin Rehdanz, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
- Prof Dr Joachim von Braun ML, University of Bonn
- Prof Dr Cathrin Zengerling, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
ML = Member of the Leopoldina
Contact us
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Kontakt Dr. Henning Steinicke
Deputy Head, Department Science – Policy – Society
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Kontakt Dr. Christian Anton
Scientific Officer, Department Science - Policy - Society