Devex examines negotiations of global food aid within U.S. farm bill

Aug 9 2012

The Devex "Development Newswire" examines how disagreements over how to administer global food aid programs is affecting negotiations over a FY 2013 version of the U.S. farm bill. "The farm bill provides for the U.S. Agency for International Development-administered Food for Peace program, which received around $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2012, as well as the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, funded at around $200 million," the news service notes, and writes, "At 0.5 percent or 0.6 percent of the nearly trillion-dollar farm bill, global food aid is 'barely a rounding error,' said Lucas Koach, policy adviser at Food for the Hungry." It continues, "If a new five-year farm bill is not passed, shorter interim bills could succeed, or there could be a continuing resolution to renew funding at 2008 levels," adding, "If none of those options is in place by the last day of September, the farm bill reverts to statutory language from the 1940s" (Brookland, 8/7).