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Background:
Currently the US provides about $3.7 billion a year in food aid to Africa.
Food aid refers specifically to the provision of physical food supplies usually, this is
a blind trust agreement wherein the US government just transfers these food supplies
to the government of the country they are providing the aid to.
We believe that this actually has net detriments to Africa.
Therefore, we stand for a gradual drawing down of federal government food aid to
Africa over the next decade
Real question of the debate: what is best for the people of Africa
Caveats:
o Emergency humanitarian aid in the event of disasters will still be provided
o Developmental aid and technical assistance can still be provided.
o Aid from NGOs can still be provided
We believe that the provision of food aid completely undermines the agricultural
industries of African countries.
o Large amounts of food are shipped to these African countries and dumped there
basically flooding the market
o Since its aid people dont pay for it
o Local farmers cant compete with a good that costs $0 cant sell their crops
hundreds of thousands of tons of excess crops rotting in storehouses in
countries like Ethiopia and Senegal
Remember that subsistence agriculture has traditionally been the major
method of survival in Africa any claims that Africa systematically
cannot produce crops are bogus
o Entrenches the cycle of poverty
When the farmers cannot sell, they cannot earn enough money to
increase production can barely grow enough to feed themselves + add
on the uncertainty involved in agricultural production and any little
thing can tip them over the edge into starvation
Thus, the gradual withdrawal of food aid actually helps the agricultural sector to get
back on its feet.
o As demand for their crops slowly but steadily increases, farmers will
gradually be able to earn more and spend more money starts flowing
through the economy generally
o 60% of the workforce is directly involved in agriculture this helps them to start
earning, buying and selling