Agridiplomacy

[Farnan]

Here is an idea of mine, I know it has been used to a degree, but I don't think it has been used yet to the degree I am proposing.

What is Agridiplomacy?

Agridiplomacy is the use of agricultural products to promote a foreign policy.

Why use Agridiplomacy?

It allows nations with a high agricultural production to increase their world influence. Also, it benefits domestic farmers, and finally it is more effective then gunship diplomacy.

How will Agridiplomacy work? (This is by the US specifically, other nations must make minor changes to make it work.)

In the United States there is a program called the Agriculture Adjustment Act (AAA). The AAA was designed during the Great Depression when there was so much of a surplus of food that the price fell below what was profitible for farmers to sell which put many farmers out of business. The AAA pays farmers not to farm thus controling the surplus and the price. If the US would use Agridiplomacy it would end the AAA, but instead buy up a portion of the surplus. The portion bought up will be divided into three uses: 1.) The domestic supply which would be given to impovershed families on welfare. 2.) Foreign Aid: This supply would be given free to nations facing a food crisis as a form of forein aid. 3.) Agridiplomacy. The portion used for Agridiplomacy would be sold at a low base price to foreign nations that have a non-emergency food shortage (which means a nation with only enough food to feed its people meager rations). The price of the food will fluxate depending upon the actions of the nation recieving the food. Thus the food-sending nation will be able to influence the actions of the food recieving nation.


I know this idea needs fine tuning, but what do people think about it?

Note: I came up with this idea as I contemplated the rise of China as an economic superpower that might overtake the US. I know the US can make enough food to feed to world, and could use this to retain influence even if economically they are overtaken by China.

[Ummon]

I think the US and Russia are doing this already.

[Guderian]

I think it is a very good thing, as Ummon said all western countries already do this. It would be even better if the US actually invested in infrastructure there by actually doing something permanant to defeat poverty, but I guess that is asking too much and does not fit in with self-interests of the US.

[imb39]

It should be used in emergencies only. The trouble is that it can be used too much.It has to be used judiciously so that the local farmers are not put out of business. The best thing that the West could do would be to drop the trade barriers on agricultural goods and stop subsidising farmers (or pay them for something else - manage the land without producing anything - this is slowly happening in the EU).