- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
The problem isn't food production, its food delivery. We grow enough food, but not everyone is close to the food. Even if you fix the delivery issues, unless you are foie gras'ing the poors with it often that food is bartered away or stolen.
Most of the Somali food aid was seized by warlords and a good portion rotted due to improper storage.
Let me also tell you a pair of stories.
First, did you know that in the 70s Kenya was one of the top places in the world for textiles, and definitely top in Africa? They had factories, lots of employed people, and now the industry is all but removed. Why? Because Kenya, being english-speaking and relatively stable made them them a preferred destination for charity clothing donations from the developed world. Suddenly the Kenyan textile markets were flooded with first world cast offs. As donations, they were nearly free for sellers. The quality was also above what the local outdated factories could produce. The clothes were of such high quality that the term for the industry translates to "A white person has died" (or a little less sensationally & literal, "donations to mourners from the funeral of a wealthy white person") because the Kenyans could not comprehend anything less severe than death parting people from clothing this fine. This destroyed their growing textile industry, mills closed as people bought the cheaper hand-me-downs.
Attempting to help destroyed any hope the Kenyans had of using trade & industry to boost themselves to a better position. Instead they became dependent on handouts.
Mexico also severely restricts US corn imports. Because the USDA attempted to do a good deed by donating surplus corn harvest to Mexico food programs. The resulting decimation to the Mexico farming industry bankrupted a significant percentage of small-time farmers.
Handouts don't work.
And its even worse when its food. tl;dr International aid during the Ethopian famine in the 80s caused Ethiopia's population to grow. Instead of being "Oh than god we can eat boy am I glad we escaped that near miss maybe we should keep the family at the current size", people decided they were going to have another 12 kids since they had food now.
Unless food aid is tied to forced sterilization, you are only making the problem worse.
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