Sargent announces €10 million to the world food programme

[thebrom]

Surely the major problems are the fact that bio-fuels are being planted at a time of surging world demand, especially from China and India? Surely this money should be spent helping Irish farmers stand on their own two feet without trade-distorting grants that cripple third-world agriculture? Are we destroying Third World industry by artificially lowering the costs of food produced in the West and then giving hand-outs of Western produced food when we miraculously find that Third World Agriculture is a crippled and under funded industry because of our policies?

The Minister said: “This money will be used by World Food Programme (WFP) to provide food to the hungry poor in Africa and elsewhere."

World food prices have risen by 45 per cent in the last nine months. Food importing countries have seen their financial costs rise by 56 per cent as there are serious global shortages of rice, wheat and maize. The increase in food prices is hitting the hungry the hardest. 162 million people are living on less than $0.50 a day and are least able to cope. More than half the world’s population lives in low-income, food-deficit countries that are unable to produce or import enough food to feed their people.

[politikofranko]

It's just easier to give cash and not ask questions.

Ever stopped to talk to a homeless person? Ever asked a person from a less developed country what they think about the hand outs? They think we're mugs.

Giving money and blind trust is only feeding the problem and not the people.

[thebrom]

It's just easier to give cash and not ask questions.

Ever stopped to talk to a homeless person? Ever asked a person from a less developed country what they think about the hand outs? They think we're mugs.

Giving money and blind trust is only feeding the problem and not the people.

The worsts aspect of it is when the US gives food aid, they give US food. This is the true face of Western imperialism. The solution is complicated by the high number of farmers in most Western countries and the difficulties in creating value-added enterprise for them or retraining them for another industry.

[Squire Allworthy]

Micro loans in the 3rd world would be a better way to go. Often people don't have the assets to make even the most basic investments.

[Pidge]

Surely the major problems are the fact that bio-fuels are being planted at a time of surging world demand, especially from China and India? Surely this money should be spent helping Irish farmers stand on their own two feet without trade-distorting grants that cripple third-world agriculture? Are we destroying Third World industry by artificially lowering the costs of food produced in the West and then giving hand-outs of Western produced food when we miraculously find that Third World Agriculture is a crippled and under funded industry because of our policies?

I'd generally agree, but in the context of actual food shortages, food aid is a good idea.