R.C. AndersonWorld Hunger and the U.S.
September 11th 2008 16:00
On July 16, 2008 the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture issued a press release stating that the U.S. donates around 58% of the total monies given to global food aid. This means the U.S. alone contributes more than all the other countries in the world combined. As of 2007, this equaled more than $1.78 billion. In 2008, $1.53 billion was earmarked with an extra $1.2 billion appropriated. Thus, in 2008 alone, Americans will donate $2.73 billion of their tax dollars to help those in foreign countries.
But what exactly is being done with this much money? According to the administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service, Michael Yost, the U.S. began 21 food for progress (FFP) programs in 15 countries in 2007. These programs gave $120 million to families in those countries. In the year prior, 2006, the U.S. donated 4,400 metric tons of food to 658 elementary schools in Honduras to feed 32,700 children. This equaled $3.4 million given in food. But that’s not all. Food was also given to 7,000 pregnant women and mothers as well as over 13,000 children up to age five.
Food isn’t the only thing that the U.S. gives, however. It also cares about the education and general lives of children and families. For example, in Honduras, the U.S. paid for 120 gardens and fish ponds, monetary aid for schools, teacher training, sanitation systems and infrastructure of 77 of the top 100 poorest schools. The U.S. is still working at the final 23 schools to improve them in the categories listed.
Guatemala is another country the U.S. has helped. In 2006, the FFP program started a credit program using 8,000 tons of U.S. soybean meal and 2,000 tons of U.S. tallow. This brought $3.2 million into the country in revenue. The money from this program was then put into creating a program that would give loans to women so they could start their own business and have more money to support their families.
It is estimated that in 2009 the U.S. will give $12.5 million to Iraq and Afghanistan for agriculture, volunteers and livestock management. This is important to countries such as Afghanistan where 80% of the population deals with these types of jobs. In Iraq, farming brings in more money to the country than any other trade, except one. A new program established by the USDA called “Stocks-for-Food” has created $120 million and allowed $100 million to be added to The Emergency Food Assistance Program.
Africa also gains from the U.S. President Bush recently made an extra $200 million available for African aid. This is in addition to the $850 million given in 2008 and the $395 million that is to become available in 2009.
With numbers such as these, it would seem one could not help but agree that the U.S. does more to help those around the world than anyone else in the world.
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