United States

The United States (U.S.) has a population of more than 317 million people. With the productivity of U.S. agriculture growing faster than domestic food demand, U.S. farmers and agricultural firms rely heavily on export markets to sustain prices and revenues. Historically, U.S. imports have increased steadily, as demand for diversification in food expands. U.S. agricultural exports have been larger than U.S. agricultural imports since 1960, generating a surplus in U.S. agricultural trade.

A few of the United States’ notable agricultural imports are bananas, barley, sugar, wheat, and oats.

77-100% of the food energy consumed in the United States comes from crops that are not native to the region. Most of these plants’ diversity is found elsewhere around the planet.

The United States signed the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) in 2002, joining 142 other parties working towards a global system. Additionally, the United States has contributed USD 54,410,193 to the Crop Trust Endowment Fund.