Food aid debate shows turf battles

By Larry Dreiling

While the farm bill debate has once again become the focus in agricultural discussions both in Washington and in coffee shops across small-town America, a second debate looms over U.S. food assistance programs to poor countries.

President Barack Obama’s budget proposes overhauling the nation’s $1.5 billion-a-year food aid program. The debate centers over the long-held philosophy, backed by farm state lawmakers, that the government should continue buying U.S.-grown food and ship it abroad.

Proponents of reform agree with the Obama administration that the current system is a waste of taxpayer money that only harms poor countries’ ability to grow their own food and that those nations should instead be handed cash payments so they can buy food from local producers.

“This is a continuation of the administration’s commitment to advancing food security globally. We are recommitting in a way that expands our ability to reach people who are in the gravest need and to do so with greater efficiency,” said an administration official. [Read More]

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