Agricultural subsidies have been used by most industrialized countries in the world since the 1920s (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia). These subsidies aim to maintain the stability of food prices, increase income from food exports and stabilize agricultural income. This is done through direct payments in the form of subsidies to farmers, usually based on the quantity and type of product they produce. Trade barriers put in place by developed countries also indirectly subsidize agricultural products (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia). Current subsidy policies of the European Union, the United States and other developed countries have had devastating effects around the world. The reliance on agricultural subsidies is a major cause of the current obesity epidemic and harms Third World farmers, ultimately leading to agricultural instability and distortion of market values. In just two and a half decades, the obesity rate in the United States has more than exceeded. triple. In 1985, less than ten percent of Americans were obese. As of July 2011, 33.8 percent of adults and 17 percent of children were obese (Center for Desase Control). This is a worrying trend directly influenced by the use of agricultural subsidies. Many leading politicians, journalists, economists, and nutritionists have argued that removing farm subsidies would be a good first step in combating the obesity epidemic because they make fattening foods cheap and plentiful (Alston , Rickard and Okrent). Paying farmers to overproduce has also changed the obese demographic. Before the industrial revolutions, food was far too expensive to afford to become obese. Being overweight was both a luxury and a symbol of wealth. Today, obesity has become a... middle of paper ...... the third world will continue to be unable to compete in global markets and, in many cases, will not even be able to feed itself without counting on food grown by thousands of people. miles of distance.Works CitedCenter for Desase Control. Center for Disease Control “Obesity Trends in the United States.” July 21, 2011. November 18, 2011. Alston, Julian M., Bradley J. Rickard, and Abigail M. Okrent. “Agricultural Policy and Obesity in the United States.” 2010. Choice. October 10, 2011. Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. Agricultural subsidies. 2011. October 14, 2011. Elinder, Liselotte Schafer. “Obesity, hunger and agriculture: the harmful role of subsidies.” Brish Medical Journal (2005): 1333-1336. Gonzalez, Carmen G. “Institutionalization of Inequality: The WTO Agreement on Agriculture, Food Security and Developing Countries.” Columbia Journal of Environmental Law (2002): 431-487.