Changes in world patterns of wild edible mushrooms use measured through international trade flows

International trade in edible wild mushrooms has increased spectacularly in recent years. Data point to structural changes in world markets in the purchase and sale of this non-wood forestry resource, which is becoming increasingly important in the society of many countries. The reasons why countries are exchanging these harvested products seem to be changing, making it necessary to interpret such changes on the basis of alternative explanations of the theory of international trade. The present research offers a world-wide study of these changes, analyzing the development of intra-industry trade indices of edible wild mushrooms from a wide array of countries, using foreign commercial transaction data from the United Nations Organization. The main results show that what is driving these changes seems to be the shift in world demand for these products, with changes in consumption habits that entail a major diversification in demand.