Nafta
NAFTA NAFTA is the North American Free Trade Agreement. “Implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) began on January 1, 1994” (USDA). NAFTA includes United States of America, Canada and Mexico. “This agreement will remove most barriers to trade and investment among the United States, Canada and Mexico” (USDA). The agreement helped end tariffs on goods and services. “In Mexico, there is a saying: “Without corn, there is no country.” Under NAFTA, tariff-free imports of subsidized corn, wheat and other agricultural products from the United States have undercut Mexican farmers’ ability to make a living. The “free trade” pact is forcing Mexican farmers who do not benefit from government subsidies to compete against transnational corporations who do. It is a clear losing proposition” (Trade Stories). Basically all small rural farmers in Mexico are having trouble competing with U.S. subsidized corn and wheat. This in turn is hindering small town farmers to make a living off their land. While they may be able to grow enough to live off they cannot grow enough to make a living off and end up moving and looking for better opportunities. “A huge percentage of Mexico’s rural population has migrated to cities, border towns and the United States looking for work. In less than fifteen years, approximately one-third of the country’s rural population had already migrated searching for work’ (Trade Stories). Many of Mexico’s population just squeak out a living doing jobs in the informal economy i.e.; shoe shinning and selling gum on corners. NAFTA is to blame for most impoverished small farms in Mexico. It has also has bad effects on U.S. “NAFTA is also causing economic destruction of rural farming communities in the United States and Canada” (Project Censored). The agreement was suppose to help open the doors for trade between the U.S., Canada and Mexico, but instead helped big companies use there farming surplus to drive down cost and making farmers
References: "North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) — ." USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013.