Relief Groups Divided on Food-Aid Debate
October 3, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
A Congressional hearing yesterday highlighted growing differences between major nonprofit groups and aid agencies on how to best use government funds to help feed the world’s hungry populations, reports The New York Times.
The debate comes at a time when a rise in food and shipping costs and a flat U.S. food-aid budget have seriously tightened the amount of food aid available.
Officials from more than a dozen nonprofit groups represented at the hearing advocated for the creation of a “safe box” of government money to be reserved for long-term antihunger programs abroad. They said the fund should remain untouched for any other purpose, even under the condition of food emergencies.
Some government representatives, however, argued that such a mandate would severely restrict American contributions to emergency aid.
CARE, an international aid organization in Atlanta, did not testify at the hearing. The group made headlines earlier this year when it announced it would stop selling U.S. surplus food in poor countries by 2009. CARE opposes the “safe box” and has argued that such efforts are inefficient and detract from the ability of local people to grow and market similar crops.
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