U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar’s Global Food Security Act, S. 384, unanimously cleared the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today. Cosponsored by Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), the bill seeks to improve the effectiveness and expand the reach of U.S. agriculture assistance to the developing world.
First, it creates a Special Coordinator for Global Food Security and that would be in charge of developing a food security strategy.
Second, the bill authorizes additional resources for agricultural productivity and rural development. Their plan draws from the experience of U.S. land grant colleges and the contributions they have made to U.S. agriculture. The bill creates a new program that would strengthen institutions of higher education in the areas of agriculture sciences, research, and extension programs. Investments in human capital and institutional capacity are important to developing a robust agricultural sector. It calls for increasing collaborative research on the full range of biotechnological advances including genetically modified technologies.
Third, the bill improves the U.S. emergency response to food crises by creating a separate Emergency Food Assistance Fund that can make local and regional purchases of food, where appropriate. The legislation would provide USAID with the flexibility to respond to emergencies more quickly, without supplanting other food programs such as P.L. 480.
“Roughly one billion people in the world suffer from food insecurity – they are unable to consume sufficient calories for a healthy and active life,” said Lugar, the Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “Hunger is both a humanitarian and security challenge for the United States. The consequences of hunger are profound. Quality of life for affected families deteriorates as access to food decreases, affecting their productivity, and ultimately the economic growth of nations. Hungry children are unable to learn, and hungry adults are not productive. Hungry people are desperate people, and their hunger can breed instability in the most vulnerable regions of the world.”
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