Countries should try to produce all the food for the population and import as little food as possible. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
There is a notion that it is advisable for every country to sustain its population with locally produced food and lessen the amount of food imported. Although there are some obvious benefits, I only partly agree with this idea.
On the one hand, food self-sufficiency does bring apparent advantages. Firstly, it can reduce the need for transportation. This equates a significant cutback in carbon emissions and, therefore, greatly enhances the environmental conditions. Another point worth noticing is that the country’s economy will be given a boost. It is simply due to the fact that self-sustainability will create more job vacancies for the native. For instance, the development of the rice production industry in Mekong Delta has provided numerous jobs for the local population.
Despite the aforementioned merits, this trend still poses some drawbacks to the provision of food. One predictable downside is a limited range of agricultural crops. Since the distinct natural conditions of every country only permit the growth of restricted kinds of plants, a decrease in the diversity of food crops might be inevitable. Take European countries as a notable example. These countries’ weather conditions are unfavourable for tropical vegetables and fruits, for which they have to be reliant on Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam and Thailand. A gloomier outlook can be a shortage of food supplies. Some countries might not be able to sustain their population with only local supplies, and the most vulnerable victims are populous countries or those frequently confronting natural disasters.
In conclusion, though local food production can bring certain merits, total reliance on it would be unfavourable. Hence, countries should balance their own agricultural output and their food import.
VOCABULARY HIGHLIGHT
Self-sufficiency/self-sustainability: the ability to do or produce everything that you need without the help of other people
Cutback in sth: a reduction in sth
Give a boost: to improve or increase sth
Outlook: a likely future situation
Populous: having a very large population
Output: the amount of something produced by a person, country...
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