BigDebt2022 t1_jeb509z wrote on March 30, 2023 at 6:59 PM

Reply to comment by Gnonthgol in Eli5 Why is there still a famine in Africa despite the fact that they have been receiving foreign aid for decades? by Illustrious-Pen9569

> Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya is some of the most fertile lands on the planet and some of the greatest food exporters in the world, not unlike the US Midwest or California.

Great. Then we can stop sending them food.

Gnonthgol t1_jebsbpp wrote on March 30, 2023 at 9:27 PM

But we want cheap Ethiopian coffee, if we stop giving the Ethiopians our food production surplus then they might cut down the coffee plantations and grow their own food. You would then end up with expensive coffee and angry local farmers who can not sell their food to the aid programs.

BigDebt2022 t1_jebx2mx wrote on March 30, 2023 at 9:59 PM

Maybe we should look into buying local products, instead of shipping them halfway around the world. Just sayin'.