When countries trade freely, it’s like opening a window to fresh possibilities. Small farmers in Vietnam, entrepreneurs in Bangladesh, manufacturers in Africa—they all gain access to wider markets. Between 1990 and 2017, developing countries doubled their share of global exports, and the global poverty rate plunged from roughly 36% to just under 9%, lifting over a billion people out of extreme poverty in the process.1
It goes deeper than numbers. Trade puts local businesses into global value chains—perhaps a machine part from rural India or software code from Ghana—enabling access to new technologies, skills, and investments . As economies integrate, costs fall. Services that once couldn’t cross borders now create growth and jobs remotely .
Why It Works—And Why It Doesn’t Always
Trade reduces prices for essentials like food and medicine, easing the daily burden on the poor. Export jobs also tend to pay better: In Africa, workers in firms selling abroad earn about 16% more than their counterparts in domestic-only firms.2 In Bangladesh’s garment trade, expanding exports meant higher wages, more formal-sector work, and narrower gender gaps.
Still, trade isn’t an automatic fix. Its gains can be uneven. Smallholders, women, and rural communities often face higher barriers—costly customs, weak infrastructure, and gender discrimination. Additionally, trade will always face pushbacks. Tariffs on essential imports, like wheat or semi-conductors, hurt the poorest households most, since they raise living costs. The World Bank warns that protectionism, paired with aid cuts, could stall poverty reduction and leave millions behind.3 FT reports call it a “perfect storm” undermining recovery in low-income countries.4
North Dakota’s Connection to the Global Economy
So how is this global framework connected to North Dakota? More than you might think.
Our state’s farms, mostly wheat, soybeans, corn, canola, and pulses, generate nearly $11.6 billion a year—10.8% of state GDP.5 In 2024, North Dakota exported about $6.8 billion in goods (WISERTrade)—agricultural and manufactured—supporting around 33,000 jobs, often at wages above the national average.6 Moreover, a 2025 NDSU-backed study found agriculture drives $41.3 billion in business volume statewide, sustaining over 123,000 jobs and $10 billion in labor income.7
That link to trade means that global policy shifts—like new tariffs or export curbs—echo back to Fargo and Bismarck. Trade missions, new agreements, rail investments, and border efficiencies matter here, not just abroad. North Dakota’s farmers and processors rely on global buyers for over half their revenues, letting them scale, reinvest, and hire.
Why This Matters
Trade isn’t just about distant economies. It’s about whether jobs and opportunity flourish here at home. When global markets open, a small-town elevator can thrive; when barriers rise, everything from farm income to municipal taxes gets squeezed.
That community in Pakistan and the one in Dickinson are part of a shared global economy. Smart trade policies—backed by local programs, infrastructure, and value-added investment—help ensure everyone benefits, whether they’re growing pulses abroad or planting beans in North Dakota.
International trade has driven unprecedented poverty reduction worldwide. But it only delivers when paired with smart infrastructure, inclusive policies, and resilient systems. For places like North Dakota, trade is both an opportunity and a lifeline: it brings global growth to small towns across the state.
So the next time trade shows, deals, or export stats flash across the news, remember: They’re about more than diplomacy or numbers. They’re about farms, factories, families, and futures in North Dakota and beyond.
1Trade has been a powerful driver of economic development and poverty reduction
2Why poverty reduction rests on trade | World Economic Forum
3Protectionism is slowing growth and entrenching poverty, says World Bank | World Bank | The Guardian
4Trump’s tariff war and aid cuts threaten poorest nations’ recovery
5North Dakota | Economic Impact of Agriculture