Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
in major irrigation projects and are concentrating more on improving water manage-
ment at the local level. Improved water management not only has a direct effect on
crop growth but can also increase the efficiency of other inputs. As mentioned, the
principal factor limiting yield response to fertilizer use is the inadequate supply of
water during the growing season.
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Food imports have become an increasingly important component of diets in both
developed and developing countries as food self-sufficiency has declined during the
last few decades. The changes in self-sufficiency varied by country grouping; the
higher-income developed countries became more dependent on imports of fruits and
vegetables, while developing countries became more dependent on imports of staple
commodities such as cereals and vegetable oils. From 1970 to 2003, import depen-
dency grew the most among the least-developed countries (LDCs) as compared to
other income groups. In 2003, LDCs relied on cereal imports for 17% of their con-
sumption (compared to 8% in 1970), 45% for sugar and sweeteners (compared to 18%
in 1970), and 55% for vegetable oils (compared to 9% in 1970).
The growing import dependency of these countries implies rapid growth both in
quantity and in variety of traded food. Between 1970 and 2003, the highest growth
occurred in the poultry market—imports grew 18-fold at the global level. This
growth was fueled by developing countries, where imports were negligible in 1970
but soared to nearly 400,000 tons by 2003. Growth in developed countries was quite
strong as well, jumping 13-fold. Strong growth also took place in the vegetable oils
market, where imports increased more than eightfold. Imports of meat, fruits, and
vegetables grew in the range of four- to fivefold.
The high-income developed countries continue to be the largest importers of
food, although their market share has declined through time. In 1970, the share of
the import market held by developed countries ranged from nearly two thirds for
grains to more than 90% for fruits and meat. While the developed countries' share
of imports of fruits and vegetables remained quite high by 2003, their share of grain
and vegetable oil imports declined to about 40%. Income and consumption growth
in developing countries, in particular in populous countries such as China and India,
are in part the factors behind the growing import share held by the developing coun-
tries. The growth in food trade also was stimulated by trade liberalization policies
adopted by many of these countries. And, while these policies have not been fully
implemented, they have led to a significant decline in import tariffs and other trade
barriers both in developed and developing countries.
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While global trade has increased rapidly during the last few decades, not all countries
were able to import adequate food to meet their needs. Some of the lowest-income
countries with low levels of nutritional intake have low import dependency simply
because they cannot afford to import. Food aid has been used as an international
instrument to reduce world hunger. It was first provided to developing countries in
