Exploring the power landscape of global agri-food systems based on mergers and acquisitions data of agri-food companies

Abstract

The mergers and acquisitions (M&As) of agri-food companies play a significant role in shaping the power landscape of global agri-food systems. Based on the data of 56,832 M&As between 1997 and 2022, this study conducts a multi-dimensional analysis of the spatial-temporal evolution of global agri-food M&As from the geography perspective. The analysis provides insights into the current challenges and opportunities facing the industry. The relevant findings are threefold. (1) Domestic M&As are the primary form of agri-food M&As in the world, while cross-border M&As are relatively rare. (2) North America and Europe are the most active regions for global agri-food M&As, while South America and Africa are on the edge of the M&A network. And Japan, South Korea, mainland China, Hong Kong, India and Singapore are important nodes in Asian M&A network. (3) As for the sectoral characteristics, the food manufacturing sector has the largest transaction scale, followed by the downstream wholesale and retail sectors, while the upstream agricultural input and primary production sectors have a smaller transaction scale. In addition, cross-sector transactions involving the financial sector have assumed an increasingly pivotal role within global agri-food systems.