Do Food Importation and Food Aid Shipment Guarantee Food Security and Environmental Sanity?
A basic tool for developing an agricultural economy is some sort of protectionism from imports in order for domestic food production to yield its benefits. These laws often placed an embargo on food importation up to fifty years or more. The Corn Laws of England established in 1660 were not repealed until 1846. Belgium s food imports began only around 1870, Germany around 1890 and Japan in 1925.1 The industrialized countries were well justified to apply this sort of protectionism to ensure self-reliance and self-sufficiency. The Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) of contemporary Europe made sure its internal market was well consolidated in order to achieve its gains. With CAP as a strong base, Europe was propelled to establish a common economic and political culture, which bonds the European Union today. In contrast developing countries dependence on food imports keeps increasing. Developing countries cereal imports increased from 31.4 million tons in 1961 to over 141 million tons by 1996
