Privatise it!

I noted the other day that the Bush administration had hidden away in their $700 million "aid" package to help the hungry a requirement to shamelessly promote the use of GM organisms. Today's NY Times has a story about the severe cutbacks in basic crop research worldwide that are preventing the development of resistant but non-GM crops. Noted in the article is that fact that the US is also planning on cutting back "by as much as 75 percent, its $59.5 million annual support for a global research network that focuses on improving crops vital to agriculture in poor countries". So we are willing to give away $700 million, largely to American agri-business companies who grow the crops that we give away "in kind", but are not willing to fund the basic but non-commercial research that will assist many countries become self-sustaining.

Everything's political

I reckon that Captain Codpiece's evil minions hoped that we weren't looking when they altered the $770 million aid proposal to assist in dealing with the world wide food crisis into a vehicle for the shameles promotion of GM organisms in the developing world. I wonder how many of his underlings will end up on the board at Monsanto?

You do realise that this is not the intended purpose of "humanitarian" aid, don't you?

Britain (fails to) lead the way

The British Treasury is insisting that aid to poor countries to deal with the effects of climate change (caused by us) be in the form of loans that have to be repaid with interest. What happened to the kinder, gentler Gordo?

Could do better

The developed world is still failing to live up to its promises of aid to poor and developing nations with world aid falling for the second year in a row according to the OECD. Before you Americans start crowing about how much you give you should probably be aware that the US comes bottom with contributions totalling on 0.16% of GDP* as compared with 0.95% of GDP for Norway. The UK contributed a fairly miserly 0.36% but claims to be on target to reach 0.7% by 2013.

To put things in perspective the US contributes only $73 on a per capita basis but manages to spend a whopping $1750+ per person on defence. Perhaps if the former were a bit bigger the latter could be a whole lot smaller!

Let them eat diesel!

The diversion of grain crops to produce "green", if ethic-less, fuels for the US and the western world has driven the price of grain to record highs. In turn this is causing USAID to drastically cut back on the amount of food aid it provides to the hungry and starving. But at least no one need feel guilty when filling up the 4x4 before the half mile trip to the Wawa!

Attention all you "every life is sacred" people

As the world dithers as many as 90,000 Somali children face hunger, malnutrition and death unless the community of nations provides them with additional support.

I repeat: 90,000 innocent human beings. Are you listening?

How can this be?

It has taken over seven years but I can clearly say that there is one issue with which I agree with Our Great Leader, Captain Codpiece. This Great Man thinks that restrictions on US food aid to the poor and the starving should be lifted so that food can be bought locally and considerable expense saved. As it is US food "aid" represent more in the way of back door subsidies for US farmers than they do in actual aid to those in need.

I am not sure why Captain Codpiece thinks this way but in this (extremely) isolated case he is right and the Democratic Congress that will oppose him is wrong.

Now I have to slip off and take some extra medication. I don't fell well at all.

Ten cents on a dollar

That's the value of US aid to Iraq in real terms according to a new report from the Center for Global Development. According the Commitment to Development Index the US ranks in the 14th out of 21 major donor countries overall for efficacy of its aid.

The entire report can be found here.

Look away now!

Oh wait, it seems that we already have as the UN High Commission on Refugees is horribly short of funds that will allow it to continue its desperately needed operations in Sudan.