A Good Thing

Food security is not something most of us think about. Yet it is a problem for over a billion people, some one sixth the planet’s population. That’s why what the United States did recently is noteworthy. Through the Department of Agriculture it will spend $3.5 billion over the next three years to boost food sufficiency in developing countries. The money will be used for research, technology, farm supplies and market access. Often developing countries have a problem with food storage as well as a poor infrastructure, both of which affect farmers’ chances to sell their products at competitive prices. The problem is even more acute when once considers that by 2050 the world’s population is to reach 9 billion. Food shortages, as well as rising prices for grains like wheat, are sure to exacerbate the situation. All the more reasons to hail the planned help. It is not only a humanitarian gesture, it answers a political, social and economic need and does it in a way that helps people help themselves.