From the Latin for "support", they're government grants given to industry; billions have gone to U.S. farmers
... companies (who take about $2 billion of taxpayer funds annually to 
deliver ... in any given year, and the three main causes of those failures are... [DOC] [TLE] Agricultural Development - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation [PAR] A maize farmer in Tanzania whose crop yields have increased through the use of 
... Nearly 1 billion people worldwide are affected by severe hunger and poverty.