Agri-Pulse: Opinion: Massive cuts to Food Aid would do long-term harm to U.S. National Security Interests
David Beasley, executive director of the U.N. World Food Programme, discusses the importance of providing food and humanitarian assistance in conflict settings, writing, “It is important to remember that poverty and hunger create conditions that weaken nations and regions and provide a fertile ground for extremist ideologies to flourish. Humanitarian assistance — especially the food aid distributed by the U.N. World Food Programme — is one way to combat extremists. … [H]umanitarian assistance remains imperative to save lives. … [P]rograms that help stabilize the world and reduce the clarion call of extremism do protect American interests. … [M]ore work remains to lock in this funding so the World Food Programme can deliver life-saving assistance” (7/10).