“There are rumors that U.S. food aid programs could see major changes in the next budget, including converting some of the Food for Peace program into straight cash grants instead of in-kind food assistance,” Roger Thurow, senior fellow of global agriculture and food policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, writes in the group’s “Global Food for Thought” blog. He notes, “Two independent task forces convened by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs have recommended changes in this direction for several years,” and he discusses the recommendations put forth by the 2012 US Agriculture & Food Policy Panel (.pdf) and 2009 Global Agricultural Development Leaders Group (.pdf) (2/22).