Another Run at Boosting Agricultural Development Assistance

Senators Lugar (R-Indiana) and Casey (D-Pennsylvania), the ranking member and chairman, respectively, of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, have re-introduced legislation, the Global Food Security Act, which would significantly increase funding for long-term agricultural development and poverty alleviation while making possible a more efficient and flexible U.S. emergency response mechanism. The legislation and attendant statements reinforce the message of the 2009 Hunger Report, to the effect that we need to restore the balance in U.S. foreign assistance by reversing the past several decades’ decline in support for agricultural development.

The press release quotes Senator Lugar, who notes that hunger is both a humanitarian and security challenge for the United States: roughly one billion people in the world already suffer from food insecurity. By 2050, it is projected that food production must double to meet demands generated by population and income growth. Increases of this magnitude require a sharp increase in investment, both by donors and developing countries.

The bill has four major components: First, it creates a special coordinator for global food security located within the executive office of the President who will be responsible for developing and implementing a “whole of government” global food security strategy: second, it authorizes significant increases in authorized levels for agriculture, rural development and nutrition, beginning at $750 million in FY 2010 and increasing to $2.5 billion in 2014 ( FY 2008 funding, by comparison, was under $300 million); third, it creates a new program for the development of higher education capacity in the field of agriculture; and fourth, it creates an emergency food assistance fund, administered by USAID, with the authority to use up to $500 million dollars for local and regional procurement of commodities to meet emergency needs.

While it’s possible to quibble over details of the legislation, overall it constitutes a major step forward. A companion bill is currently being prepared for introduction in the House. Senators Lugar and Casey deserve kudos for their initiative.