National legislation seeks to keep the food in U.S. food aid programs

Neighbors helping neighbors is a Kansas way of life - and it applies not only to combining a wheat field down the road for folks down on their luck, but also to those in need around the world. It was a Kansas farmer who first proposed the idea of sharing grain with countries in dire need nearly 70 years ago. Today, another Kansan - U.S. Representative Tracey Mann - is helping carry that torch by leading legislative efforts to keep the food in now well-established U.S. food aid programs. 

“Kansas wheat producers are proud to continue a tradition of championing food aid programs that provide high-quality wheat to those in need,” said Kansas Wheat CEO Justin Gilpin. “These programs have saved lives and built goodwill all in one simple gesture, and we are proud to support the push to keep the food in food aid.” 

Peter O’Brien, a young farmer and rancher from Cheyenne County, first suggested donating grain to countries in need during a county meeting in September 1953. Those comments sparked a grassroots movement, leading to the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act in 1954, sponsored by U.S. Senator Any Schoeppel and signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower - both Kansans. 

The pillar of today’s modern food aid programs was a common goal: provide people in developing countries with a secure food source, and they will do more than survive. As their economies recover and thrive, they become new potential buyers of U.S. exports. 

“America’s international food aid programs have enjoyed bipartisan support for more than 65 years because they are simple, effective, and they feed millions of vulnerable people around the world each year,” Mann said in a release. “Through these programs, America fortifies our allies, counters the influence of foreign adversaries, creates new markets and trading partners, and stops wars before they start.

For decades, the implementation of food aid programs stayed true to this purpose, purchasing and donating U.S.-grown commodities, like wheat, to countries in need. Wheat has been a staple in the fight against global hunger, accounting for roughly 20 percent of the calories consumed globally. In recent years, however, the programs have shifted to transferring cash and purchasing commodities from foreign competitors with U.S. dollars. 

“This shift has diminished transparency and accountability, reduced the procurement and shipment of American-grown food for hungry people, and jeopardized more than six decades of bipartisan support for our international food aid programs,” Mann said. 

To correct the course of U.S. food aid programs, Mann, who represents the Big First Congressional District, jointly introduced the “American Farmers Feed the World Act of 2023” with U.S. Representatives John Garamendi (CA-08), Rick Crawford (AR-01), and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) on June 22. 

The legislation seeks to ensure U.S.-grown commodities remain the cornerstone of international food aid by ending the Food for Peace program’s utilization of cash transfers overseas - along with restoring transparency, accountability and efficiency to the program. 

“The American Farmers Feed the World Act of 2023 supports more Kansas wheat going to more people around the world who are in need,” said Brian Linin, U.S. Wheat Associates Board of Directors member, Food Aid Working Group member, and farmer in Goodland. “This legislation is an opportunity to make sure taxpayer dollars are spent in a manner that truly makes an impact on global hunger. Commodities produced by U.S. farmers should always be the first choice when it comes to international food aid programs.” 

From casual conversations in St. Francis to press conferences outside the U.S. Congress, the principle of neighbors helping neighbors, particularly by providing secure access to food, remains an ideal Kansans will continue to champion. 

“This bill puts a stake in the ground,” Mann said. “It’s a noble thing to feed hungry people, and we should use American commodities as we do it.”

Learn more about wheat as a source of food security and assistance at https://www.uswheat.org/policy/food-security-and-assistance/. Learn more about the American Farmers Feed the World Act of 2023 at https://www.uswheat.org/american-farmers-feed-the-world-act-of-2023/.

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Written by Julia Debes for Kansas Wheat