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U.S. To Ship Peanuts To Feed Haitian Kids; Aid Groups Say 'This Is Wrong'

Sacks full of peanuts are displayed for sale at a market in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Aid groups say they are dismayed by a planned influx of American-grown peanuts from a U.S. agricultural surplus that they fear could undercut a vital cash crop in the impoverished Caribbean nation. Dieu Nalio Chery/AP hide caption

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Dieu Nalio Chery/AP

The Salt

U.S. To Ship Peanuts To Feed Haitian Kids; Aid Groups Say 'This Is Wrong'

On paper, the USDA's plan to send surplus peanuts to feed 140,000 malnourished Haitian schoolchildren sounds heroic. But aid groups say it could devastate Haiti's peanut farmers.

Middle East

Food Aid To Starving Syrian Refugees Is At Risk

The World Food Program, which had been feeding 1.7 million Syrian refugees in five countries, is suspending its aid for lack of funds. WFP Regional Emergency Coordinator Muhannad Hadi explains.

Food Aid To Starving Syrian Refugees Is At Risk

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Philippines Disaster Rekindles Fight Over Food Aid Rules

A relief worker looks over boxes of aid provided by the U.S. on November 14, 2013 in Leyte, Philippines. Proponents of food aid reform say it makes more sense for the U.S. to buy food donations locally than ship them across the globe. Chris McGrath/Getty Images hide caption

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Chris McGrath/Getty Images

The Salt

Philippines Disaster Rekindles Fight Over Food Aid Rules

The Philippine disaster is an example why it increasingly makes sense to buy food close to where its needed rather than ship it across the globe. Most U.S. food aid, though, travels to hotspots from U.S. ports. Critics say that wastes time and money.

Philippines Disaster Rekindles Fight Over Food Aid Rules

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A Political War Brews Over 'Food For Peace' Aid Program

Pakistani aid workers offload USAID food supplies from an Army helicopter in Kallam Valley during catastrophic flooding in 2010. Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images

The Salt

A Political War Brews Over 'Food For Peace' Aid Program

Rumors abound of a major shakeup in the works for U.S. food aid programs. The U.S. would give aid groups money to buy food wherever they could get it cheapest and quickest, rather than shipping abroad commodities bought in the U.S. Already, groups that profit from the current system are mounting a fight.

A Political War Brews Over 'Food For Peace' Aid Program

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When Food Aid Goes Local, Some Say It Works Better

A worker piles sacks of corn at a market in Guatemala City. Daniel LeClair/Reuters /Landov hide caption

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Daniel LeClair/Reuters /Landov

The Salt

When Food Aid Goes Local, Some Say It Works Better

Food security experts have long debated whether it's better to ship bags of rice and corn from the United States to the hungry overseas, or to buy food close to where it's needed. New research suggests most of the time, it's better to buy food close to where it's needed.

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