Some people think that (all) countries should produce foods their population eats and import less food as much as possible. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

One school of thought holds that nations should try to become

food

-independent.

While

acknowledging the reason for

this

thinking, I would argue that it is impractical in many parts of the world. On the one hand, it is understandable why certain individuals advocate that countries should strive for

food

autonomy and reduce their dependence on

food

imports. The key rationale is that improving domestic

food

production can lead to employment opportunities, thereby curbing unemployment.

This

can be seen in Vietnam, where an emphasis on agricultural development has ensured year-round production, creating thousands of jobs for the local residents and preventing jobless periods.

In addition

to

this

, minimizing

food

imports can aid in environmental protection.

This

is because it can lead to reduced

food

miles, which would be synonymous with lower levels of carbon dioxide emitted from

food

transportation.

On the other hand

, I am convinced that solely depending on domestic

food

production is far from a realistic goal for every country. To be more specific, weather conditions in many regions are simply not compatible with developing agricultural practices. Japan is a case in point. Its infertile soil,

coupled with

hostile climates, severely limits its agricultural capacity, making self-sufficiency a hardly attainable goal. By the same token, in light of unprecedented flooding crises and devastating droughts, it would be virtually impossible for South Sudan to produce enough

food

for its citizenry. For

such

countries, avoiding

food

imports could actually be tantamount to causing national

food

shortages. In conclusion,

while

there are justifications for supporting the policy of

food

self-reliance, I would contend that it is not a feasible option for all countries. Particularly in regions where natural conditions are unfavourable for agriculture, importing foods remains an indispensable means to ensure national

food

security.