A Critical Analysis of “International Food Aid and Food Assistance Programs and the Next Farm Bill”

“International Food Aid and Food Assistance Programs and the Next Farm Bill” released by Professor Christopher B. Barrett, Stephanie Mercier, and Erin C. Lentz in October 2017 (“Barrett Paper”), argues for an end to the cargo preference system which currently sustains America’s merchant maritime fleet and sealift capacity. In attempting to bolster the argument to end the use of in-kind, U.S.-sourced food in Federal foreign assistance programs, the Barrett Paper undermines the political partnership among the agriculture, port, intermodal, milling, and maritime industries in the United States which have supported our nation’s flagship foreign food assistance programs in good times and bad for sixty years. The Barrett Paper is the latest attempt to misrepresent the importance of America’s merchant marine and fails to appreciate the need to avoid dependence on foreign vessels in times of crisis, which has been a consistent requirement of the United States Government since the birth of the Republic. READ MORE (PDF)