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  3. Both subsistence and commercial farmers face a similar problem: farming is no

Both subsistence and commercial farmers face a similar problem: farming is no

游客2023-12-18  29
问题    Both subsistence and commercial farmers face a similar problem: farming is not producing a sufficiently high income for the desired standard of living. The underlying cause of low incomes, however, differs significantly between developing and relatively developed countries.
   Problems for Subsistence Farmers  The fundamental problem in developing countries is to ensure an adequate supply of food for the people. Traditional subsistence farming can continue to produce enough food for people living in rural villages to survive, assuming there is no drought, flood, or other, natural disaster. But developing countries must provide enough food for a rapidly increasing population as well as for the growing number of urban residents who do not produce food.              
   Subsistence farmers lack the land and supplies needed to expand crop production; they need higher-yield seeds, fertilizer, and tools. How can they obtain these aids? To some extent, farmers can secure needed supplies through the barter of food with urban dwellers. For many African and Asian countries, though, agricultural supplies must be obtained primarily by importing from other countries. Yet these countries do not have enough money to buy agricultural equipment and replacement parts from relatively developed countries.
   A handful of developing countries, especially in Latin America and Asia, have turned to production of crops that can be converted to drugs. Various drugs, such as coca leaf, marijuana, opium, and hashish, have distinctive geographic arrangements. Coca leaf is grown principally in four contiguous countries in northwestern South America. One-half of the supply comes from Peru, more than one-fourth from Bolivia, and most of the remainder from Columbia and Ecuador. Some 80 percent of the processing of cocaine, as well as its distribution to the United States and other relatively developed countries, is based in Colombia.
   Mexico grows the overwhelming majority of marijuana that reaches the United States, followed by Colombia, Jamaica, and Belize. Mexico is also responsible for some of the opium, but most originates in Asia. Southeast Asia is the center of opium production, with more than half produced in Myanmar, followed by Laos. Thailand produces some opium, as well, but its main role is to serve as the transportation hub for distribution to relatively developed countries. Farther west in Asia, Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan are producers of hashish, as are Lebanon and Morocco.     
   Problems for Commercial Farmers  Commercial farmers suffer from low incomes because they produce too much rather than too little food. A surplus of food has been produced because of widespread adoption of efficient agricultural practices. The diffusion of new seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, as well as mechanical equipment, has enabled farmers to obtain greatly increased yields per area of land. Thus, commercial farmers have dramatically increased the capacity of the land to produce food.
   While the supply of food has increased in the relatively developed countries, demand has remained constant because the market for most products is already saturated.  In relatively developed countries, consumption of a particular commodity may not change significantly if the price changes. Americans, for example, do not switch from wheat to corn products if the price of corn falls more rapidly than wheat. Demand is also stagnant for most agricultural products in relatively developed countries because of low population growth. [br] According to the passage, which of the following statements is CORRECT?
选项 A、Thailand is Asia’s biggest producer of opium.
B、Most of the marijuana distributed to the U.S. comes from Columbia.
C、Coca leaf is mainly grown in South America.
D、Drugs are not grown in Central Asia.
答案 C
解析
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