Question: It seems every year we hear about American grain surpluses and the intentional destruction of good grain. With so many developing nations facing food crises and many people starving, couldn't that surplus be shipped where it is needed?
Submitted from Lynn of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin through PBS Online (10/19/00)
Answer from Al Gore:
Fighting World Hunger
Yes it could, Lynne. In fact, we have already shipped excess food supplies to countries in need.
In February, I announced that U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would donate about 3 million tons of surplus agricultural commodities as food aid to countries across the globe. That addition brought the total planned for this year to about 9 million tons of international food aid, which is about the same amount we shipped last year. We have donated wheat, wheat flour, soybeans and soy products, rice and milk powder.
It is important to continue using abundant food supplies generated by American farmers to help relieve hunger and suffering around the world. Using surplus commodities in this way also helps our farmers, who are suffering rock-bottom prices for a third straight year.
Poverty and hunger can decimate societies, resulting in chaos and the erosion of civil order. For my entire career, I have believed that America has a responsibility to lead in the world. Today, at the dawn of the 21st Century, we need a new security agenda for the Global Age based on a policy of "forward engagement." We need to understand new security threats, including the threat of international hunger and poverty, and address these problems early in their development before they become crises.
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