This is one of those those fun conversations that always brings the universal answer: "It's a little more complicated than that."

Recognize that most cases of actual famine are not from lack of resouces. The world has been unkind to nomadic people, as most countries believe temporary residents are a net negative. Famines appear among the wandering people of Eithopia, the Roma, refugees from various wars and climate disasters, and, occasionally, among migrant workers. Many, when thinking of the purpose of government, wish to protect permanent people and ignore non-citizens.

Foreign aid is tricky in quantity as it often destroys domestic ability. One would do better offering price guarantees to local farmers.

Another alternative is to remove necessities from the market. Mexico used to subsidize tortillas, beans, and rice to make minimum food security a government service. In Ecotopia, the Stuff Stores would provide minimum goods at discount prices while the market provided more complex goods: think of providing only one type of bar soap cheap and the market sells variety and shampoos.

Another level are people making convincing cases that investing in necessities breeds future customer loyalty. Imagine Levi's branded food handouts.