Food Aid Benefits Rich Countries as Much as It Does for Poor Countries? Essay Example

giving excess food to LEDCs as aid, while also gaining a reputation for being helpful and generous in the international community. Additionally, food aid can be used as a tool for advertising a MEDC's own food, as seen in Nigeria where people first tasted wheat through aid and then developed a taste for it, leading to increased demand of 1.5m tons of wheat imported per year in the 80s.

Nigeria would have to import aid once it stops since growing it locally is not feasible due to the need for imported technology such as fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation. The situation benefits MEDCs as they can export more and establish trade agreements involving LEDC resources in exchange for food. However, LEDCs face debt and a decrease in income from increased imports. The government might subsidize wheat farming to encourage self-sufficiency, but this would require additional government spending.

The issue of food aid has both positive and negative impacts on LEDC and MEDC. Local farmers in LEDCs often struggle to compete with free or cheap food aid, resulting in decreased demand for their locally grown food. This can lead to business losses and unemployment. However, food aid also provides much-needed nutrition for LEDC populations. In MEDCs, food aid can increase exports and sales of products. However, reliance on imported non-staple MEDC food can harm LEDCs, resulting in reduced incomes and an imbalance of imports over exports.