This guide attempts to explain how the often confusing US farm subsidy programs operate. Different programs have different effects, some of which are much more harmful to Africa than others. Generally, US farm subsidies can cause US farmers to produce more than prices would proscribe, flooding the agriculture market with surplus goods and driving down crop prices. Often these artificially low prices drive African farmers out of business, thus disrupting rural development and causing food insecurity.

The United States Farm Bill, although one of the least understood bills passed by Congress, has a worldwide impact through its determination of US farm subsidies. A recent Oxfam paper estimates that removing the cotton subsidies alone would allow 2 million West African children an education, demonstrating the scope of the justice issue behind this seemingly arcane bill. Recent news from the US House Agriculture Committee seemed to indicate that the new US Farm Bill will disastrously extend current subsidies. Yet there exists a significant ground swell of anti-subsidy sentiment that, if successfully tapped, could result in fairer trade.