U.S. Scrambles to Address International Food Crisis

Andrew S. Natsios, who served as administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development from 2001 to 2006, said, "The consequences of this in terms of political stability is very frightening."

Natsios, who now teaches at Georgetown University, said the current crisis is notable in part because it has hit particularly hard in urban areas, in addition to rural regions that are more commonly affected by food shortages. If that pattern holds, he said, the crisis will be even more likely to result in more violence and political upheaval.

Jennifer Parmelee, Washington spokeswoman for the U.N. World Food Program, said, "Everybody recognizes that this is not just a moral issue; this is a security issue, as well," adding: "Something has to be done."

The crisis also has the potential to undermine the Bush administration's efforts to combat other global scourges. Retired Navy Rear Adm. Tim Ziemer, who coordinates the president's malaria initiative, said yesterday that the food crisis complicates the fight against HIV-AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

"Certainly if we save a child or mother of HIV or malaria and they die of hunger, that is unconscionable, too," Ziemer said yesterday.

The World Food Program, which is the single largest recipient of U.S. food aid, provides a stark example of food-price inflation: On March 3, the group's purchase price for rice in Bangkok was $460 per metric ton; five weeks later, it was $780.

Overall, the U.N. agency needs about $800 million in emergency funding to reach its annual goal of feeding 78 million people, and that does not account for additional waves of people being plunged into poverty by the rising prices, Parmelee said.

Last week, the Bush administration released $200 million worth of wheat and shipping costs from a trust fund set up to administer emergency food aid, according to the Agency for International Development. The United States provides more than $2 billion in total food aid each year, administration officials said.

J. Stephen Morrison, head of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the United States deserves credit for its generosity but should do far more in the current crisis. He and other experts said an outpouring of assistance could help repair the country's image in the wake of the Iraq war and other international controversies.

"If nothing else, it's simply good politics," Morrison said. "If you're looking for options to show leadership to reverse the decline of America's standing in the world, this is a very good option, and it's affordable."