Foreign Policy

Documents & Texts from the Washington File

30 April 2008
Long-term Approach to Food Aid Problems Necessary, Rice Says

By Kathryn McConnell
Staff Writer

Washington -- A long-term, broad-ranging and integrated approach to dealing with food aid problems can help avert future food crises, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told 65 Peace Corps country directors and headquarters staff.

One approach to dealing with the increasing costs of food aid distribution would be to purchase food in regions where it is needed, Rice said April 28 at Peace Corps headquarters in Washington. Authority to purchase up to 25 percent of food aid locally is one of the Bush administration's farm bill proposals being debated by Congress.

Local purchasing "would considerably drive down our transportation costs ... [and] considerably help markets" seeking local goods, she said.

Another approach to the challenges of food aid would be the completion of international trade negotiations. That would bring down developed countries' agricultural subsidies and give farmers, particularly subsistence farmers, greater access to markets, Rice said.

Production declines, growing demand among those who can afford better diets and export caps by some countries to keep food for domestic populations are affecting the supply of food for the poor, Rice said.

She said that advances in technology could boost food production, citing such developments as use of crops genetically modified to be drought-resistant.

The provision of food aid to those who need it also is affected by increased conflict in such countries as Sudan and Zimbabwe, where it is difficult to distribute food, Rice said.

PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS

The secretary said she would like to see more Peace Corps volunteers posted in the Caucuses region of the former Soviet Union "both in places that are starting to move up [in becoming more democratic]” and places that are "still mired" in problems.

Rice said that today's Peace Corps volunteers are "opening up a whole new world for the people they serve by teaching computer skills and AIDS prevention in local communities. Volunteers have become "an important part of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, particularly in Africa and the Caribbean," she said.

The Peace Corps is assisting different groups of countries, Rice said. Volunteers are helping people recover from conflict. In 2008, Peace Corps volunteers are returning to Rwanda after a 15-year absence and to Liberia to work in education.

In China, a where income distribution and quality of life is "erratically different in different parts of the country," volunteers are needed to help people who are struggling. Though China has many resources, 150 million people still live on less than $2 a day. Volunteers are needed to help those people, Rice said.

"Throughout its history, the Peace Corps has met the challenges of an ever-challenging world by adapting and responding to the issues of the day, but never losing sight of the values that have sustained the Peace Corps throughout its history," Rice said.

In 2008, the Peace Corps is celebrating a 47-year legacy of service at home and abroad. Currently there are more than 8,000 volunteers abroad, a 37-year high.

Since its beginning, more than 190,000 volunteers have helped promote a better understanding between Americans and the people of the 139 countries where they have served.

A transcript of Rice's remarks is available on America.gov.

More information about the Peace Corps is available on the agency's Web site.

back to top ^