Understanding the Linkages between Agri‐food Trade and SDGs: Literature and Research Gaps

Summary This article synthesises findings from the literature reviews of two EU funded projects, TRADE4SD and MATS, to explore the multidimensional linkages between agri‐food trade and sustainability, with a focus on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Through structured literature reviews, we assess the economic, environmental and social sustainability implications of trade and trade policy, explore spillover effects and identify emerging pathways and solutions for making trade more sustainable from identifying literature gaps relevant for policymaking. Our analysis reveals a dominant focus on economic sustainability in current research, with limited attention to environmental and social dimensions while keeping agency and multi‐stakeholder perspectives neglected. We conclude by identifying methodological and thematic gaps and propose directions for more systems‐based research and policy action in the future accounting for coherence and trade‐offs to foster sustainable agri‐food trade.