Will ending USAID’s Food for Peace program hurt NC farmers? Here’s what we know
The Trump administration’s shuttering of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) halted the Food for Peace program that bought goods from American farmers and shipped them to countries in need.
Food for Peace is the oldest and largest international food assistance program in the U.S., launched under President Dwight Eisenhower after World War II to provide new markets for American farm products and humanitarian aid for starving populations.
How does Food for Peace work?
Since taking office, President Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency’s head, Elon Musk, have ordered USAID employees laid off, the agency’s programs shut down, its building lease terminated and its web page taken down, making it difficult to find original agency documents about Food for Peace.
But news reports and Congressional documents show:
▪ Food for Peace is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and managed by USAID.
▪ It provides food for countries with emergency needs such as natural disasters, and those with chronic poverty and food production issues.
▪ In 2022, Food for Peace provided nearly 4 billion pounds of food grown in the U.S. to 58 million people around the world, according to Reuters.
The USDA spent $2.28 billion in 2022 on American farm goods for Food for Peace, according to downsizingovernment.org, a project of the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute.
Food for Peace buys items that can withstand long shipping and distribution times and can serve as staples in developing countries. It purchases American-grown wheat, sorghum, rice, and dried lentils, beans and peas as well as other items.
Will ending Food for Peace hurt NC farmers?
According to the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, North Carolina farmers typically don’t grow enough of the products Food for Peace purchases to serve as suppliers for the program.
However, Dr. Jeffrey Dorfman, the Hugh C. Kiger Distinguished Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics at N.C. State University, said any decline in demand for agricultural products can cause the price of those products to fall, though other market forces are constantly in play.
The USDA says total U.S. agricultural exports were valued at $178.7 billion in 2023, down $17 billion from 2022. Dorfman said the money spent for Food for Peace is relatively small.
What are the benefits of Food for Peace?
The program’s supporters say:
▪ It alleviates suffering by providing emergency food around the globe and generates diplomatic good will toward the United States.
▪ It provides markets for U.S.-grown farm goods.
What are the criticisms of Food for Peace?
In recent years, according to Bread for the World, a non-partisan, Christian anti-poverty advocacy group based in Washington, some members of Congress have proposed deep cuts to the program. Bread for the World has argued strongly against cutting Food for Peace.
Claims include:
▪ The program benefits farmers and shipping companies more than hungry people overseas, because it can take months for shipments to arrive in the places where emergency food is needed. Some argue that if the U.S. is going to try to alleviate world hunger, it would be more helpful to send money to buy goods from markets closer to the need.
▪ The items Food for Peace provides are not as nutritious as they could be.
▪ Donations from Food for Peace sometimes compete with goods produced by local farms and may discourage growers from creating secure food sources in their home countries.
This story was originally published February 12, 2025 at 6:30 AM with the headline "Will ending USAID’s Food for Peace program hurt NC farmers? Here’s what we know."
