Second, regional irrigation shortfalls tend to boost international
agricultural trade as well as altering its geography. Although the
overall increase in world food exports is only modest, some types
of inter-regional food trade are strengthened as America and
Europe export more to Asia. Some Asian countries that used to rely
on imports from China and India are expected to trade more
heavily with non-Asian partners as their neighbors facing
irrigation stress export less agricultural and food commodities.
This change may also have implications for trade policies and
incentives to engage in regional trade agreements.