Did you know the salty history of trade barriers?

When we think about barriers to trade, tariffs or quotas usually come to mind. Yet, in the 18^th century shipping living plants around the world was a challenging and “salty” affair: Shortage of fresh water, extreme weather, and exposure to sea water killed most plants before they reached their destination. Invention of the Wardian Case (sealed glass boxes acting as miniature greenhouses) overcame many of these challenges and revolutionized plant transport. This fueled botanical exploration and movement of new crops around the world.

Fast forward to today: the challenge isn’t keeping plants alive, it’s getting their movement authorized. Modern trade in plants is subject to non-tariff trade barriers, such as strict phytosanitary measures and complex paperwork. These are needed to safeguard ecosystems from invasive species, pests and diseases but misaligned and protectionist regulations can also act as barriers to growers looking for international markets, as well as add limitations to research & development efforts.