Some individuals argue that a nation should try to produce all the food for its people and should limit the amount of imported food. This proposal, while it could be partly beneficial, is unrealistic as some countries may not be able to fully accommodate the demand for food of their population, and importing food could be more economical.
Admittedly, trying to self-produce all the food for the population of a country might bring two main advantages. Primarily, people living in the country could rest assured about the quality of their food since the government aims this food directly at them to consume. This might be necessary, since many imported foods fail to meet the needed quality because they could be the waste products that the importing countries do not want their people to consume. Moreover, since self-production requires more labour to ensure the quantity, this approach generates more jobs for people living in these countries. This could reduce the unemployment rate in these nations, potentially enhancing their economy.
However, I believe that the drawbacks of doing so are more significant. Chief among these is that while wealthy nations, such as the USA or Russia, could put the proposal into practice, many developing and less-developed countries are unable to produce all the food needed for their population. Therefore, striving to be self-sufficient in food production could put more burden on these countries’ economy, resulting in numerous problems subsequently. Furthermore, relying on imported food reduces the cost of food for individuals. This is because many crops and meats are produced more effectively in some particular regions due to the weather or soil quality, making importing these foods from these countries more economical. For example, Vietnam, due to its tropical weather, which is suitable for coffee production, can produce coffee beans at a much cheaper price than in the USA; thus, importing coffee from Vietnam would be a more economical choice than self-producing it for Americans.
In conclusion, while domestic food production creates more jobs for people and ensures the quality, I still disagree with this view because importing food from other regions could be more economical and some countries are even unable to fully meet the demand for food of its population.