Agricultural Appropriations: Food for Peace (P.L.

480)
The Global Need

FY13 Committee Approved Funding Senate: $1.466 billion House: $1.15 billion

As of September 2012, 870 million people are estimated to be suffering from malnutrition and hunger. 1 Crop failures, conflicts, natural disasters, and high domestic food prices all contribute to this food crisis. In October 2012, 35 countries were identified to be in crisis, many of which experience recurrent shocks, keeping households in a cycle of hunger and poverty. 2 Hunger remains one of the worlds most pressing challenges, with almost one in seven people worldwide suffering from chronic hunger. Surviving and recovering from these shocks requires resilience, however many families have lost their ability to respond to natural disasters or increased food prices, and resort to damaging practices like selling off their assets for survival, leaving them even more vulnerable to future hardship. A combination of immediate emergency assistance and resilience building activities are needed to enable households that can survive and bounce back quickly from crisis. Significance of Funding Levels The additional $316 million dollars approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee for FY13 for Title II Food for Peace could: Provide food assistance to approximately 9 million more people;3 and Increase resilience and decrease the need for future emergency assistance by helping families acquire the tools they need to improve farming techniques and build self-reliance through Title II NonEmergency/development funding included in this appropriation.

Importance of Funding Food for Peace remains the flagship U.S. food assistance program. During emergencies, Food for Peace provides immediate and lifesaving food to the most vulnerable through food distributions, food-for-work programs, and food vouchers. With multi-year programs, Food for Peace development programs also boost smallholder agricultural output and linkages to markets, improve mother and child nutrition, better manage natural resources, and ultimately help communities reduce future reliance on emergency aid and a host of other interventions. These steps to reduce hunger and increase the economic well-being of people in the developing world create more prosperous and stable markets for US goods and services. In addition, volatile food prices and limited access to affordable food can lead to social unrest, making it critical to both our national and global security that the US and its partners help developing countries better manage destabilizing events like soaring food pricings and natural disasters.4 Impact of Funding Success is Possible Since Food for Peace began in 1954, more than three billion people in 150 countries have benefited directly from US food aid. At present, it provides food and assistance for millions of individuals in 44 countries who are suffering from hunger and malnutrition.5 Examples of success include:

Reducing stunting prevalence among children under five years by 2.4% per year; and Helping several thousand farmers in Nicaragua move out of low-profit local markets into formal high-profit supply chains resulting in a 44% increase in income and sales of $39.8 million in agricultural products to major companies in four years. 6

1 2

FAO. (2012). The State of Food Security. Page 8. As retrieved from http://www.fao.org/docrep/016/i3027e/i3027e.pdf. FAO. (2012). Countries Requiring External Assistance for Food. As retrieved from http://www.fao.org/giews/english/hotspots/index.htm. 3 This number is based upon a cost per beneficiary amount of approximately $35, drawn from an analysis of funding from the previous three USAIDs International Food Assistance Annual Reports, dividing total title II costs by total number of beneficiaries served. 4 Roadmap to End Global Hunger. July 2012. As retrieved from http://bit.ly/Wb38d6 5 US Food Aid and Security. (2012). Food for Peace. As retrieved from http://foodaid.org/food-aid-programs/food-for-peace/. 6 Roadmap to End Global Hunger. July 2012. As retrieved from http://bit.ly/Wb38d6

November 1, 2012

Agricultural Appropriations: McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program
The Global Need
1

FY13 Committee Approved Funding Senate: $184 million House: $180.32 million

Every year 2.5 million children die from an entirely preventable condition; malnutrition. According to UNICEF, there are an estimated 130 million school-age children in the worlds poorest countries who are undernourished and would be 2 eligible for school feeding programs. Currently, USDA funds 36 active agreements with 17 cooperating sponsors in 28 3 4 countries, assisting more than 4.3 million women and children using programs such as McGovern-Dole.

Significance of Funding Levels

The additional $3.68 million dollars for FY13 approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee could provide meals for over 92,000 children throughout the school year. Since FY08, McGovern-Dole has provided school-aged children in poverty-stricken countries what is often their only full 5 meal of the day at an average cost of $40 per student, per year. McGovern-Dole not only provides beneficial nutritional meals, helping to combat hunger, but also increases literacy and future opportunities that education provides- building the groundwork for long-term sustainable development.

Importance of Funding
The McGovern-Dole program provides technical and financial assistance to carry out pre- and primary-school programs in developing countries in order to improve food security, reduce the incidence of hunger and malnutrition, and improve 6 literacy and primary education. According to WFP, there are 66 million children who go to school hungry every day. By providing school meals, teacher training, and related support, McGovern-Dole projects help boost school enrollment and 7 academic performance. The program also works to help move national governments closer to their goal of fully funding and operating school meals as an important social safety net.

The Impact of Funding- Success is Possible

Since 2000, when USDA established the predecessor to the McGovern-Dole program, it has provided meals to feed more than 22 million children in 41 countries and boosted school attendance by an estimated 14 percent overall 8 and by 17 percent for girls. Additionally, over the last 45 years, more than 37 national governments have successfully taken over school meal programs launched by donor countries, NGOs, and international organizations including Brazil and India, which currently 9 operate two of the largest school meal programs in the world.

Country Success Story Republic of Congo

Since 2001, four McGovern-Dole Programs have been implemented in the Republic of Congo. During this time, about 30,000 metric tons of US-donated foods (rice, beans, potato flakes and vegetable oil) have been distributed to nearly 150,000 pre-school and primary school-age Congolese children. The efforts helped increase Congolese school enrollment by nearly 24 percent. The drop-out rate has decreased by more than 50 percent. In 2010, the Congolese government approved a plan that gradually decreases the amount of U.S.-donated food and increases the Congolese governments logistical and administrative support. The Congolese government is expected to take complete 10 responsibility for the school lunch program by the end of 2015.

1 2 3

State of Food Insecurity in the World, 2012, page 4. As retrieved from http://www.fao.org/docrep/016/i3027e/i3027e.pdf UNICEF. (2009). Tracking Progress on Child and Maternal Nutrition. Page 5. As retrieved from http://uni.cf/darWEi. USDA Blog. (2012). U.S. Wheat Helps Feed Children in Bangladesh. Retrieved from http://1.usa.gov/RyrhDJ . 4 U.S. International Food Assistance Report 2010, Page 24. As retrieved from http://1.usa.gov/Pq77Pc 5 Determined by dividing beneficiaries and funding levels from FY 2008-2011. Figures taken from annual US International Food Assistance Reports. 6 Two minutes to learn about school meals, page 1. As retrieved from http://bit.ly/OvzqMU 7 U.S. Department of State. (2011). Foreign Operations Congressional Budget Justification Fiscal Year 2011: Volume 2. Retrieved from http://1.usa.gov/Q79zv7 3 U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2012). McGovernDole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program Fact Sheet. Retrieved from http://1.usa.gov/YrPdwW . 8 UNICEF. (2009). Tracking Progress on Child and Maternal Nutrition. Page 5. As retrieved from http://uni.cf/darWEi. 9 Roadmap to End Global Hunger. Page 15. (July 2012). As retrieved from http://www.thp.org/files/FINAL_roadmap_layout_web.pdf. 10 USDA Blog. (Sept 2012). FAS Food for Education Program Fuels Food for Thought. As retrieved from http://1.usa.gov/QICEuv.

November 1, 2012