U.S. food aid system antiquated and inefficient

The United States, a country with so much abundance, cannot sit back as impoverished nations suffer from high food prices, said John Hamre, President and CEO of The Center for Strategic and International Studies.

J. Stephen Morrison, Co-Director of the CSIS Task Force on the Global Food Crisis, listed several steps to a pragmatic policy for bipartisan efforts against poverty. He said the emergency response system must be modernized, and monetary commitments doubled. He said rural agriculture must be supported as well. Also, approaches to fuel security must be clarified as well as U.S. trade policy adjusted to support third world capabilities.

Senator Robert Casey (D-Pa.) said the gravity of the world food crisis cannot be overstated. He said the current U.S. food assistance program is antiquated, costly, and inefficient, sometimes taking as long as six months for aid delivery. He plans to work on new development legislation to double the U.S. food assistance commitment. Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) emphasized the potential of genetically modified foods in the fight against rising food costs. He said undeveloped countries are starved of both food and science. The 40countries threatened by food shortages do not use genetically modified foods, and in some cases reject genetically modified food aid.