II Calendar No. 60 111th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 384 [Report No. 111–19] IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 5, 2009 Mr. Lugar (for himself, Mr. Casey, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Harkin, Ms. Collins, Mr. Kerry, and Mr. Begich) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations May 13, 2009 Reported by Mr. Kerry, with amendments Omit the part struck through and insert the part printed in italic A BILL To authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2010 through 2014 to provide assistance to foreign countries to promote food security, to stimulate rural economies, and to improve emergency response to food crises, to amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title; table of contents

(a)

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Global Food Security Act of 2009. (b)

Table of contents

The table of contents for this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Findings. Sec. 3. Definitions. TITLE I—Policy objectives, planning and coordination Sec. 101. Statement of policy. Sec. 102. Comprehensive food security strategy. Sec. 103. Reports. TITLE II—Bilateral programs Sec. 201. Agriculture, rural development, and nutrition. Sec. 202. Agricultural research. TITLE III—University partnerships for agriculture Sec. 301. Amendments to Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. TITLE IV—Emergency rapid response to food crises Sec. 401. Emergency food assistance accountEmergency rapid response to food crises account. Sec. 402. Authorization of appropriations.

2.

Findings

Congress makes the following findings: (1)Nearly 1,000,000,000 people worldwide suffer from food insecurity, defined as a lack of access to sufficient food to meet dietary needs for an active and healthy life. (2)The number of food insecure increased from 849,000,000 in 2006 to 982,000,000 in 2007, according to the Department of Agriculture. (3)The World Food Programme reports that 25,000 people die each day from malnutrition-related causes. (4)The food security situation of lower income countries is projected to continue to deteriorate over the next decade. (5)Nearly half of the world’s food insecure live in Sub-Saharan Africa. (6)The agricultural sector comprises large portions of the total labor force in many developing countries, as high as 70 to 80 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa, where it also contributes about 35 percent of the total gross national product (GNP). (7)Agriculture has been shown to be an efficient engine of economic growth in developing countries, with the benefit of promoting income for the poorest, equity, and social justice. (8)A diverse and secure food supply has health benefits, including increasing child survival, improving cognitive and physical development of children, especially those under two years of age, increasing immune system function including resistance to HIV/AIDS, and improving human performance. (9)Rapid increases in global food costs since 2007in 2007 and 2008 and downturns in the global economy threaten to significantly undermine gains achieved in poverty reduction and health programs over the past decade. (10)The poor in developing countries spend as much as 50 to 70 percent of their incomes on food. (11)Three out of five of those suffering from hunger are rural small-scale agriculturalists. One out of five is a rural landless laborer, and another one-fifth are urban poor, according to the United Nations Hunger Task Force. (12)Women, who are often heads of households, comprise a large proportion of small holders and face unique challenges and heightened vulnerability to food insecurity. Studies show that increasing the incomes and access to food for women benefits the entire household as they are more likely to share these resources with family members. (13)A comprehensive approach to long-term food security should encompass improvements in nutrition, education, agricultural infrastructure and productivity, finance and markets, safety net programs, job creation, household incomes, research and technology, and the environment. (14)A comprehensive food security strategy should include expertise of private voluntary organizations and cooperatives, many of which have experience in working with the rural poor, community-based organizations, and local administrators to improve agriculture, businesses, and infrastructure and to address nutrition and food security needs at the household and community level.

3.

Definitions

In this Act: (1)

Administrator

The term Administrator means the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development. (2)

Agricultural assistance

The term agricultural assistance means assistance that has the objective of improving agriculture and rural development through such strategies as raising agricultural productivity, strengthening infrastructure, enhancing human and institutional capacity at educational institutions, including those of higher education, creating markets and a conducive business environment, improving health and nutrition, particularly for vulnerable groups, and expanding access to technology through extension and related programs. (2)(3)

Appropriate congressional committees

The term appropriate congressional committees means— (A)the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and (B)the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives. (3)(4)

Chronic food insecurity

The term chronic food insecurity means ongoing and persistent lack of access to sufficient food to meet dietary needs for an active and healthy life. (4)(5)

Extreme poverty

The term extreme poverty means income of less than half of the poverty level as defined by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for the relevant year. (5)(6)

Institution of higher education

The term institution of higher education means educational institutions providing post-secondary education and training.

. May 13, 2009 Reported with amendments