Study the arguments for and against agricultural subsidies.what is your view on this issue?

Answer 1

For
Because if weather variability the yield from crops are uncertain. Farmers in the face of this uncertainty will plant to produce less than the amount of food needed in in poor crop years. Therefor it is in the public interest for the government to have policies(subsidies) that will create on average an over production assuring that there will always be enough.

Against
With growing trade in food and decrease of transport cost people no longer depend on domestic food supplies, and the variation in the world production is less. A bad crop somewhere can be off set by a bumper crop half way around the world, so less extra production is needed. Powerful interest groups take advantage of programs to obtain subsidies for non staple crops and subsidies farmers from rich nations unfairly compete with farmers from third world countries worsening poverty.

Answer 2

For: Food is often considered (along with property) to be a "primary" good--that is, something that is necessary as a base for all economic activity. It's also viewed as a national security good, meaning that it's not optimal to depend on foreign sources to secure something as necessary as food. (There's also a sentiment for the romance of the "family farm," notably in France and the US, but this is only within cultural context so may not always be applicable.) Also, there's the more practical "irreversible" factor: once a farm is broken up and parceled out to be used for other purposes, it is nearly impossible to repurchase and convert the land into arable farmland without significant barriers to entry.

Against: Why not let food be set by the free market? Subsidies are often enacted as a price floor, guaranteeing a minimum price for food. This only raises the cost of basic food, a cost that falls heavily on the poor. Even if direct subsidies are used, formulas used to determine goods often go to large corporate farms that are more than capable of competing in the marketplace. And permitting poor countries to export their goods, even for food, allows them to trade and compete with larger economies, lifting them out of poverty; with a significant food surplus as most advanced economies have, depending on foreign sources just isn't as much of a factor.

Answer 3

Against. They lead to overproduction and economic inefficiency. I'd rather have lower taxes and properly priced food products, even if that means higher prices. At least I would be in control of where my $$$s go, and not same lame-assed politician trying to secure reelection.