H.R. 5656 — Introduced in House

I 113th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5656 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 18, 2014 Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself and Ms. McCollum) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs A BILL To authorize the Feed the Future Initiative to reduce global poverty and hunger in developing countries on a sustainable basis, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Feed the Future Global Food Security Act of 2014. 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) For more than 60 years, the United States has provided consistent global leadership in addressing food security and investing in agricultural development, research, innovation and humanitarian assistance, particularly in Africa, Latin America and South Asia. (2) Nevertheless, according to the January 2014 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the United States Intelligence Community report, lack of adequate food will be a destabilizing factor in countries important to United States national security that do not have the financial or technical abilities to solve their internal food security problems, and food and nutrition insecurity in weakly governed countries might also provide opportunities for insurgent groups to capitalize on poor conditions, exploit international food aid, and discredit governments for their inability to address basic needs. (3) According to the most recent estimates of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, globally more than 805,000,000 people suffer from chronic hunger. In addition, approximately 165,000,000 (or 1 in 4) children under the age of 5 are stunted, with 80 percent of the world’s stunted children living in just 14 countries. Mounting evidence from several peer-reviewed studies provide compelling evidence that undernutrition during the critical first 1,000 day window until age two leads to stunting, a lifelong condition of poor health, impaired cognitive and physical development, and diminished productivity. (4) The provision of folic acid as a supplement to women of childbearing years has resulted in benefits, including a reduction in incidents of autism in some populations. (5) The African Union Commission Cost of Hunger in Africa study estimated that the economic costs associated with child undernutrition are substantial—from 2 percent to 16 percent of the gross national product (GNP) in several African nations. For instance, this cost was estimated at $4,700,000,000 in Ethiopia in 2009 alone, which is the equivalent of 16 percent of Ethiopia’s GNP. (6) The Feed the Future Initiative (FTF) is the United States flagship global hunger and food security program. The primary objectives of FTF are to improve food security by increasing productivity and incomes as well as reducing hunger and to improve nutrition among 140,000,000 of the world’s poorest people in 19 priority countries. Feed the Future focuses on improving the lives of smallholder farmers, especially women and children. (7) FTF leverages partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders—including private voluntary organizations, universities, faith-based groups, international and domestic research organizations, community-based organizations and cooperatives—harnesses new innovations and technologies, builds local capacity and sustainability, links to the global economy, and adheres to rigor, transparency and accountability. (8) Its whole-of-government approach to food security brings together agriculture, economic growth, trade facilitation, nutrition, development, and humanitarian programs to achieve unprecedented results. For example, preliminary data indicates child stunting rates in Ethiopia have declined at a 3.3 percent annual rate over the past 3 years, such that there are currently 160,000 fewer stunted children in Ethiopia despite population growth over this period. (9) In 2013, FTF reached more than 7,000,000 farmers and other food producers resulting in the employment of new technologies and management practices on more than 4,000,000 hectares of land. Also in 2013, the initiative reached more than 12,500,000 children with high impact nutrition interventions such as micronutrient supplementation improving both health and development. (10) To increase responsible private agricultural investment, private sector executives and African leaders launched the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition (New Alliance). Since 2012, the New Alliance has expanded from three to ten African countries and approximately 180 African and international companies have committed to investing over $10,000,000,000 in African agriculture. 3. Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that United States efforts to end extreme global poverty should build upon the progress and successes of the Feed the Future Initiative in supporting agricultural development and addressing chronic hunger and malnutrition. 4. Statement of policy It is the policy of the United States— (1) to reduce global poverty and hunger through a comprehensive food security and nutrition strategy known as the Feed the Future Initiative (FTF); (2) to implement FTF using a whole of government approach; (3) to promote agricultural development to help transform local economies, increase political stability, and expand trade; (4) to focus on country-led agricultural priorities in partnership with local governments, donor organizations, multilateral institutions, the private sector, civil society, and international and university research institutions in the United States; (5) to increase the productivity, incomes and livelihoods of small-scale producers, especially women, by working across agricultural value chains and expanding farmer access to local and international markets; (6) to promote secure and transparent land rights in order to enable responsible investment in agriculture; (7) to target research, develop new technologies, utilize extension agents, and improve post-harvest storage in order to reduce food waste; (8) to improve the nutrition of women and children, with a focus on reducing child stunting; (9) to expand access to diverse and quality foods and enhance nutrition-related behaviors that improve maternal and child health; and (10) to increase the resilience of vulnerable communities and households by building capacity in safety nets and decreasing the need for emergency assistance. 5. Assistance to reduce global poverty and hunger in developing countries on a sustainable and global basis (a) Assistance authorized (1) In general The President, acting through the heads of the relevant Federal departments and agencies specified in paragraph (2), shall provide assistance to reduce poverty and hunger in developing countries. To the extent consistent with the requirements of this Act, such assistance should be provided in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Federal program known as the Feed the Future Initiative (as such program was in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this Act). (2) Relevant federal departments and agencies The relevant Federal departments and agencies specified in this paragraph are the United States Agency for International Development, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the Peace Corps, the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the United States African Development Foundation, the United States Geological Survey, and any other department or agency specified by the President for purposes of this paragraph. (3) Provisions of law Assistance authorized under this subsection that is provided pursuant to the authorities of section 103, section 103A, title XII of chapter 2 of part I, and chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151a, 2151a–1, 2220a et seq., and 2346 et seq.) may be provided notwithstanding any other provision of law. (4) Reference Assistance authorized under this subsection may be referred to as the Feed the Future Initiative. (b) Coordination The President, acting through the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, shall coordinate the efforts of the relevant Federal departments and agencies under subsection (a). (c) Strategic approach Assistance authorized under subsection (a) should be provided under a strategic approach that— (1) prioritizes the overarching dual objectives; (A) increasing agricultural productivity, income, and economic growth, with a strong emphasis on small-scale producers; and (B) improving nutrition, especially of women and children; (2) takes a whole-of-government approach of Federal departments and agencies that engage in some aspect of food security, nutrition security, and agricultural development; (3) is driven by country strategies, ownership, and engagement; (4) harnesses science, technology, and innovation; (5) leverages unique partnerships in development, including farmers’ organizations, cooperatives, the private sector, civil society and faith-based organizations, research entities, and academic institutions; (6) has a strong focus on women’s economic empowerment and nutrition; (7) builds capacity of local organizations and institutions; (8) integrates and strengthens resilience approaches to ensure that chronically vulnerable populations are linked to market systems and longer-term economic growth opportunities; (9) supports and seeks to align with country-owned agriculture, nutrition, and food security policy and investment plans developed with input from relevant governmental and non-governmental sectors within partner countries and regional bodies, including representatives of the private sector, small-scale producers, and international and local civil society and faith-based organizations; (10) gives consideration to integrating agricultural development activities among food insecure populations living in proximity to designated national parks or wildlife areas to support wildlife conservation efforts; (11) engages, when appropriate, the expertise of United States institutions of higher education in collaboration with public and private institutions in developing countries; and (12) assesses criteria to determine where agricultural development assistance is no longer required. (d) Requirements Assistance authorized under subsection (a) should meet the following requirements: (1) Be consistent with a country-led, multilateral, accountable process, and a comprehensive approach to agricultural development, nutrition, and resilience. (2) Maintain an emphasis on the cross-cutting issues of nutrition, land tenure, research, technology innovation, and supporting women farmers. (3) Engage strong partnerships with the private sector, educational institutions, and civil society and faith-based organizations. (4) Build the capacity of local organizations and institutions. (5) Develop community and farmer resiliency to natural disasters, emergencies, and natural occurrences that adversely impact agricultural yield. (e) Monitoring and evaluation Assistance authorized under subsection (a) should be provided under established parameters for a rigorous accountability system to monitor and evaluate progress and impact, including by reporting to Congress and the public on an annual basis. 6. Report (a) In general The President, acting through the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, should submit to Congress an annual report that details, by fiscal year, the programs and activities carried out under this Act. (b) Matters To be included (1) In general The report requested by subsection (a) shall include a summary of significant issues and developments, the outlook for the next fiscal year, an analysis of performance and effectiveness against the results framework, and details of results and activities with respect to the programs and related subject areas described in paragraph (2). (2) Programs and related subject areas described The programs and issues described in this paragraph are the following: (A) Country and regional programs. (B) Global and multilateral programs. (C) Nutrition integration. (D) Women’s economic empowerment. (E) Stakeholder engagement, including list of partner organizations and description of their respective roles. (F) Management and accountability. (G) Participation and research by United States and developing country institutions of higher education. (H) Policy and program management. (I) Areas related to private investment in developing countries and the impact of private sector investment on economic opportunities and income of small-scale producers. (c) Additional matters To be included The report requested by subsection (a) should provide accountable and transparent information on United States Government performance under this Act. 7. Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated to the President to carry out this Act, for each of the fiscal years 2015, 2016, and 2017, an amount equal to the amount of funds made available for food security and agricultural development programs for fiscal year 2014 under section 7060(d) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2014 (division K of Public Law 113–76; 128 Stat. 554).