Analyze the impact of NAFTA on Mexican corn farmers.
Why did so many Mexican corn farmers lose their
livelihoods as a consequence of NAFTA?
a. Changes in consumer food preferences from corn toward wheat reduced demand.
b. Manufacturing jobs that processed the corn left Mexico for the U.S. due to lower wages, reducing the need for Mexican-grown corn.
c. Mexican farmers could not compete with government-subsidized U.S. corn.
d. NAFTA gave subsidies to Mexican corn farmers to increase production, which flooded the market.
c. Mexican farmers could not compete with government-subsidized U.S. corn.
The impact of NAFTA on Mexican corn farmers was significant, and many of them lost their livelihoods as a consequence. One major reason for this was the inability of Mexican farmers to compete with government-subsidized U.S. corn. Under NAFTA, the U.S. government provided subsidies to American corn farmers, which allowed them to produce corn at lower prices. As a result, Mexican farmers found it difficult to sell their corn at competitive prices in the domestic market.
Additionally, the influx of cheaper U.S. corn into Mexico due to NAFTA led to a significant increase in imports, reducing the demand for Mexican-grown corn. This shift in consumer food preferences from corn towards wheat further intensified the challenges for Mexican corn farmers, as the demand for their primary crop dwindled. Consequently, many of them lost their livelihoods as their income and market presence declined.
It is worth noting that the options a, b, and d are not accurate in explaining why Mexican corn farmers lost their livelihoods. The changes in consumer food preferences towards wheat may have affected the demand for corn, but this alone does not explain the detrimental impact on Mexican corn farmers. The movement of manufacturing jobs away from Mexico and the subsidies provided by NAFTA to increase corn production actually contradict the notion that these factors contributed to the loss of livelihoods for Mexican corn farmers.