Food Fight Erupts Over Proposed Overhaul to US International Aid Program Ron Nixon - The New York Times
go to original April 7, 2013

Palestinians unload bags of flour donated by USAID and shipped to a West Bank village. (Mohammed Ballas/Associated Press)

WASHINGTON — An Obama administration plan to change the way the United States distributes its international food aid has touched off an intense lobbying campaign by a coalition of shipping companies, agribusiness and charitable groups that say the change will harm the economy and hamper efforts to fight global hunger.

Proponents say it would enable the United States to feed about 17 million more people each year, while helping to fight poverty by buying the crops of farmers in poor countries.

According to people briefed on the soon-to-be released fiscal 2014 budget, the administration is expected to propose ending the nearly 60-year practice of buying food from U.S. farmers, then shipping it abroad. The administration proposes the government buy food in developing countries instead of shipping food from U.S. farmers overseas, a process that typically takes months. The proposed change is expected to save millions in shipping costs and get food more quickly to areas that need it.

The administration is also reportedly considering ending the practice of food-aid “monetization,” a process by which the government gives U.S.-grown grains to international charities. The groups then sell the products on the market in poor countries and use the money to finance their anti-poverty programs.

Read the rest at The Seattle Times

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