In the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution began in the city of Manchester in England, which at that time was known as the British Empire. With this revolution, concepts such as mass production, the search for resources, and colonialism emerged. Before the 19th century, the production of everything took longer and was more laborious. Some items even took months or years to make. However, nowadays, different kinds of problems such as food shortages, malnutrition, and the lack of agricultural land have become more noticeable.
Now let’s get to the main question: is it better for our country to be rich in agricultural land or to be a paradise of mineral resources? Countries that possess either of these advantages are usually the ones that manage to stand out in the world. We need to answer this question by considering many criteria. For example, population is an important factor. In countries with large populations, food shortages are more common, and having rich agricultural lands becomes a significant advantage. On the other hand, when we look at countries where industry plays a leading role, the more mineral resources they have, the more it benefits them.
As for my own opinion, in today’s world where people are trying to move away from non-renewable resources like minerals and turn to renewable alternatives, I would choose agricultural land. And I think the reasons are quite clear.
First of all, we can say that global tension has reached its peak over the past two years. We are witnessing things like verbal threats, bombed cities, and armed conflicts, and throughout history, armies have had three essential needs during wartime: ammunition, clothing, and food. The countries that were able to supply these needs mostly won their wars. To give a historical example, during the time when Napoleon had conquered almost all of Europe, he was defeated by the Russian Empire because his soldiers didn’t have enough food and clothing. As a result, all of Europe declared war on the French Empire, ending Napoleon’s reign.
The second point is that being dependent on other countries for food has never been a good thing. Countries you are dependent on gain the power to manipulate you easily. And if the issue is agricultural resources, even if they offer you the lowest quality goods, you wouldn’t be able to object. This situation is also mentioned in the book “When the Bread Runs Out.”
The third and final point I would mention is the measures that can be taken against the problem of over-urbanization. Over-urbanization refers to building on top of green areas, natural beauties, and farmland, and with each passing day, the supply-demand cycle creates more need for buildings, which are often constructed on empty agricultural land. Thanks to having a lot of farmland, we can compensate for the loss of these urbanized lands.
In short, I would prefer to have more agricultural land, because today, not being dependent on others for food is a very important issue. We need to ensure we have enough food at hand under all circumstances and eliminate the concept of “food shortage” altogether.