More on U.S. Food AID Programs

I have made it to Geneva for a visit to my good friend Maria. Now I have unrestricted computer access for a few days. Hooray (It was 6 Euros per half hour at my hotel)

I found an important message buried in my mail box from MADRE. It seems that the U.S. farm bill is up for reauthorization in September and MADRE is campaigning to change the terms of the bill on food aid so that more money can go directly to farmers in poor countries instead of all the dollars going to agribusinesses here (see previous post for more information on this topic).This issue directly affects the people with whom I will be working that's why I raise it here.

From MADRE's website:

The UN World Food Program found that it was able to obtain 75 percent more corn to feed hungry families in Africa between 2001 and 2005 by buying corn from local farmers in Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia instead of from US factory farms.

Yet, the current US Farm Bill requires that all federal food aid be produced in the United States and shipped abroad by US companies. As a result, transportation and overhead account for up to 65 percent of the budget for food aid. Since 2002, rising shipping costs have meant a 43 percent decline in the amount of food distributed as aid. And because food aid must be bought, packaged, and shipped in the US, it can take months to reach people in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, where most US food aid goes.

This system also undermines long-term solutions to world hunger by dumping US-grown food on countries where local farmers could be providing comparable resources. Instead of using US tax dollars to buy food exclusively from corporate-owned US farms that already receive billions in government subsidies, food aid should be purchased from local farmers in the Global South.

MADRE's Call

MADRE supports a proposal for the new Farm Bill that would allow 25 percent of emergency resources to be spent on food grown by people in the country or region where aid is needed, rather than by large-scale US factory farms. Unfortunately, the House of Representatives dropped this provision from its version of the Farm Bill. But in September, the Senate is scheduled to debate the bill. Make sure that your Senator goes back to Washington from their current Congressional recess having heard from you and your friends about the importance of distributing US food aid efficiently and equitably.

Call your US Senators and tell them:
- Your name and address (to confirm that they represent you in Congress).
- The Senate should support a provision to allow up to $300 million of food to be bought near the places in crises during emergency food distributions.
- Food aid should aim to meet urgent needs and promote long-term solutions to world hunger.
- Food aid should not be driven by the interests of US agribusiness and shipping companies.

To find the phone number for your Senators, use the tool on this webpage: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ or call the Senate switchboard at 202.224.3121.

Please forward this action alert on to friends in and outside of your state - together we can make real change happen.