increasing

decreasing

interdependence

alliances

colonialism

conflict

during the medieval era

with European exploration and colonization

in Mesopotamia

in tandem with the Green Revolution

a handful of multinational, agribusiness corporations.

Southeast Asian billionaires

family farms in the United States

subsistence farms in less economically developed regions of the world

500,000 500

25,000 30

1.2 million 30,000

75 30,000

national security

economic stability in the agricultural sector

crops grown for local consumption

tariff revenue

extensive agriculture

cash crops

proprietary goods

globalized produce

it requires a significant capital investment up front

climate change will rapidly affect the ability of a country to grow that product

farmers lack the economic freedom to focus on the needs of the local population

countries are unlikely to import products from countries that only have one major export

increased competition can severely impact the economy

farmers lack the economic freedom to focus on the needs of the local population

the conditions of production are often unfavorable to the exporting country

cash crops are subject to the unpredictable nature of seasonal storms

production of cash crops incentivizes the use of chemicals that are harmful to the environment

increased competition can severely impact the economy

increased competition can severely impact the economy

the conditions of production are often unfavorable to the exporting country

farmers lack the economic freedom to focus on the needs of the local population

it requires a significant capital investment up front

production of cash crops incentivizes the use of chemicals that are harmful to the environment

political conflict between historically adversarial nations

food shortages due to an ever growing population

social and economic inequality

climate change

farmers in wealthy countries tend not to need subsidies, whereas the farmers in developing countries do

farmers in developing countries cannot compete with wealthier countries' prices

subsidies in developing countries are often determined by the rates set in countries with a robust economy

government subsidies in wealthy countries often lead to local conflicts in developing countries

the American government's New Deal policies during the Great Depression

the Chinese government's state-run farms during the Great Leap Forward initiative

the Soviet Union's collective farming practices in Ukraine in 1932 and 1933

the German occupation of Belgium throughout World War I, from 1914 to 1918

infrastructure built by colonial powers was intended to transport trade goods out, bypassing the needs of the local population

infrastructure built during the colonial era acts as an obstacle to new developments. It is difficult to replace the existing, outdated infrastructure without causing severe damage to the local environment

infrastructure was built by colonial powers with little regard to the environmental impact it would have on the local community. Today the local communities face natural disasters such as flooding, falling rock, and dust storms due to the ecological fallout of colonial infrastructure

wealthy countries can afford to bypass existing transportation infrastructure in developing countries, denying them a source of revenue that is crucial to their economy