Evolution of international pork trade patterns: A complex networks perspective.

In the context of economic globalization, international pork trade has emerged as a crucial mechanism for balancing food demand across complementary countries or regions. In this paper, we construct the international pork trade networks based on available trade data from 1991 to 2021, and explore the evolution of international pork trade patterns for three perspectives: global, regional and national. Our key findings are as follows: First, the international pork trade network reached its maximum scale in 2017, with trade relationships and volumes among countries continuing to grow. Second, there is a distinct globalization trend in the pork trade network, evident in the decreasing heterogeneity and the blurring of community structures over time. Third, the network exhibits scale-free characteristics, where a small proportion of countries (less than 10 volume), highlighting the pivotal role of core countries in network stability. Lastly, geographic proximity is a significant factor shaping the community patterns within the network. Notably, China, Poland, Italy, Germany and Japan are the primary pork importing countries, while European and American nations such as Germany, France, Denmark, New Zealand, and Brazil dominate global pork exports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]