[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1252 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1252

   To authorize a comprehensive strategic approach for United States 
foreign assistance to developing countries to reduce global poverty and 
    hunger, achieve food and nutrition security, promote inclusive, 
  sustainable, agricultural-led economic growth, improve nutritional 
  outcomes, especially for women and children, build resilience among 
            vulnerable populations, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 7, 2015

Mr. Casey (for himself and Mr. Isakson) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To authorize a comprehensive strategic approach for United States 
foreign assistance to developing countries to reduce global poverty and 
    hunger, achieve food and nutrition security, promote inclusive, 
  sustainable, agricultural-led economic growth, improve nutritional 
  outcomes, especially for women and children, build resilience among 
            vulnerable populations, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Global Food Security Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of 
        the United Nations (referred to in this section as the 
        ``FAO''), 805,000,000 people worldwide suffer from chronic 
        hunger. Hunger and malnutrition rob people of health and 
        productive lives and stunt the mental and physical development 
        of future generations.
            (2) According to the January 2014 ``Worldwide Threat 
        Assessment of the US Intelligence Community''--
                    (A) the ``[l]ack of adequate food will be a 
                destabilizing factor in countries important to US 
                national security that do not have the financial or 
                technical abilities to solve their internal food 
                security problems''; and
                    (B) ``[f]ood 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) Decades of research have shown that there are multiple 
        underlying causes of food insecurity and poor nutrition, 
        including--
                    (A) the lack of availability of, access to, and 
                consumption of nutritious food;
                    (B) limited investments to improve agricultural 
                productivity;
                    (C) social and gender inequality;
                    (D) insufficient value chains and market 
                development for farmers, including small-scale 
                producers, which lead to post-harvest loss; and
                    (E) weak institutions in government and civil 
                society.
            (4) Agriculture, which comprises large portions of the 
        total labor force in many developing countries, is an essential 
        component of inclusive economic growth. According to the World 
        Bank's 2008 World Development Report, growth in the 
        agricultural sector has been twice as effective in reducing 
        poverty as growth in other sectors.
            (5) Women, who are often heads of households and small 
        farmers, are especially vulnerable to food insecurity. Women 
        frequently face stricter constraints than men in accessing 
        markets and resources. In its 2010-2011 report, the FAO 
        estimated that if women farmers had the same access to inputs 
        as men, they could increase their farm yields by 20 to 30 
        percent. According to the FAO, this ``could raise total 
        agricultural output in developing countries by 2.5-4 percent''.
            (6) According to UNICEF--
                    (A) more than 161,000,000 children younger than 5 
                years of age suffer from chronic malnutrition (also 
                referred to as stunting); and
                    (B) 1 in 3 women in the developing world are 
                anemic, which leads to severe health and developmental 
                consequences.
            (7) According to the United Nations World Food Programme, 
        poor nutrition causes 45 percent of deaths in children younger 
        than 5 years of age.
            (8) Malnutrition can--
                    (A) undermine future earning potential by up to 20 
                percent; and
                    (B) inhibit economic growth by up to 3 percent of 
                gross domestic product.
            (9) According to The Cost of Hunger in Africa Study by the 
        African Union Commission--
                    (A) the economic costs associated with child 
                undernutrition are substantial, ranging from 2 percent 
                to 16 percent of the gross national product in several 
                African nations; and
                    (B) adults who suffer from stunting as children are 
                less productive than nonstunted workers and are less 
                able to contribute to the economy.
            (10) According to Save the Children's 2013 Food for Thought 
        report, if the current malnutrition rates continue, global 
        output could be reduced by an estimated $125,000,000,000 by 
        2030, as the young children of today reach working age.
            (11) A comprehensive approach to sustainable food and 
        nutrition security should not only respond to emergency food 
        shortages, but should also address malnutrition, resilience to 
        food and nutrition insecurity, building the capacity of poor, 
        rural populations to improve their agricultural productivity, 
        and incomes, removing institutional impediments to agricultural 
        development, value chain access and efficiency, including 
        processing and storage, enhancing agribusiness development, 
        access to markets and activities that address the specific 
        needs and barriers facing women and small-scale producers, 
        education, and collaborative research.
            (12) An effective, sustainable approach to combating food 
        insecurity requires consultation with, and participation from, 
        multiple stakeholders, including government, the private 
        sector, international organizations, international and local 
        nongovernmental stakeholders, grassroots and civil society 
        organizations, faith-based organizations, and higher education 
        research institutions.
            (13) Nongovernmental organizations, faith-based 
        organizations, community-based organizations, private voluntary 
        organizations, academic institutions, and cooperatives can 
        increase the effectiveness of public investments by building 
        local capacity, strengthening food and nutrition security and 
        resilience, and leveraging additional resources.
            (14) The United States has provided consistent global 
        leadership in addressing food security and investing in 
        agricultural development and humanitarian assistance. In 2010, 
        the United States Government launched Feed the Future (referred 
        to in this paragraph as ``FTF''), an initiative designed to 
        expand and better coordinate the United States investments in 
        improving global food security. FTF is a whole-of-government 
        approach that works across agricultural value chains and 
        focuses on the dual objectives of improving farmer 
        productivity, income, and livelihoods in developing countries 
        and improving the nutrition of women and children.
            (15) The United States Government spearheaded the creation 
        of the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (referred 
        to in this paragraph as the ``GAFSP''), which mobilizes 
        contributions from a wide range of international donors to 
        support the goals of FTF. As of 2014, the GAFSP had received 
        pledges totaling $1,300,000,000 from 10 donors and reached an 
        estimated 12,000,000 direct beneficiaries in 25 countries.

SEC. 3. POLICY OBJECTIVES; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Statement of Policy Objectives.--It is in the national security 
interest of the United States to promote global food and nutrition 
security, consistent with national agriculture investment plans, which 
is reinforced through programs, activities, and initiatives that--
            (1) eradicate hunger and malnutrition, especially for women 
        and children;
            (2) assist foreign countries to achieve long-term, 
        sustainable, and inclusive agricultural development by 
        emphasizing--
                    (A) increased productivity, resiliency, local 
                management capacity, income, and growth;
                    (B) reduction in poverty and long-term 
                vulnerability to food and nutrition insecurity; and
                    (C) improved skills building and market linkages 
                for producers, especially for women and small-scale 
                producers, who face specific constraints in accessing 
                markets, networks, and resources; and
            (3) ensure the effective use of United States taxpayer 
        dollars to further these objectives.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
President, or a designee of the President, in providing assistance 
under this Act, should--
            (1) coordinate, through a whole-of-government approach, the 
        efforts of relevant Federal departments and agencies to develop 
        and implement the strategy set forth in section 5(a);
            (2) utilize, to the maximum extent possible, open and 
        streamlined solicitations, grants, and cooperative agreements 
        to allow for the participation of a wide range of implementing 
        partners; and
            (3) strengthen and expand partnerships between developing 
        country institutions of agricultural sciences with universities 
        in the United States, with a focus on building the agricultural 
        capacities of universities in developing nations.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
                Senate;
                    (B) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
                Forestry of the Senate;
                    (C) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
                    (D) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
                of Representatives;
                    (E) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
                Representatives; and
                    (F) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
                Representatives.
            (2) Feed the future innovation labs.--The term ``Feed the 
        Future Innovation Labs'' means research partnerships led by 
        United States universities that advance solutions to reduce 
        global hunger, poverty, and malnutrition.
            (3) Feed the future strategy.--The term ``Feed the Future 
        Strategy'' means the strategy developed and implemented 
        pursuant to section 5(a).
            (4) Food and nutrition security.--The term ``food and 
        nutrition security'' means access to, and availability, 
        utilization, and stability of, sufficient food to meet caloric 
        and nutritional needs for an active and healthy life.
            (5) Malnutrition.--The term ``malnutrition'' means poor 
        nutritional status caused by nutritional deficiency or excess.
            (6) Resilience.--The term ``resilience'' means the ability 
        of people, households, communities, countries, and systems to 
        mitigate, adapt to, and recover from shocks and stresses in a 
        manner that reduces chronic vulnerability and facilitates 
        inclusive growth.
            (7) Small-scale producer.--The term ``small-scale 
        producer'' means farmers, pastoralists, and fishers that have a 
        low asset base and limited resources, including land, capital, 
        skills and labor, and, in the case of farmers, typically farm 
        on fewer than 5 hectares of land.
            (8) Stunting.--The term ``stunting'' refers to a condition 
        that--
                    (A) is measured by a height-to-age ratio that is 
                more than 2 standard deviations below the median for 
                the population;
                    (B) manifests in children who are younger than 2 
                years of age;
                    (C) is a process that can continue in children 
                after they reach 2 years of age, resulting in an 
                individual being ``stunted'';
                    (D) is a sign of chronic malnutrition; and
                    (E) can lead to long-term poor health, delayed 
                motor development, impaired cognitive function, and 
                decreased immunity.
            (9) Sustainable.--The term ``sustainable'' means the 
        ability of a target country, community, implementing partner, 
        or intended beneficiary to maintain the programs authorized and 
        the outcomes achieved pursuant to this Act over time.
            (10) Target country.--The term ``target country'' means a 
        developing country that is selected to participate in 
        agriculture and nutrition security programs under the Feed the 
        Future Strategy.

SEC. 5. COMPREHENSIVE FOOD SECURITY STRATEGY.

    (a) Feed the Future Strategy.--
            (1) In general.--The President, or a designee of the 
        President, shall coordinate the development and implementation 
        of a United States whole-of-government strategy to accomplish 
        the policy objectives set forth in section 3(a), which shall--
                    (A) support and be aligned with country-owned 
                agriculture, nutrition, and food security policy and 
                investment plans developed with input from relevant 
                governmental and nongovernmental sectors within target 
                countries and regional bodies, including--
                            (i) representatives of the private sector;
                            (ii) agricultural producers, including 
                        women and small-scale producers;
                            (iii) international and local civil society 
                        organizations;
                            (iv) faith-based organizations; and
                            (v) research and academic institutions;
                    (B) support inclusive, sustainable agricultural 
                value chain development, with small-scale producers, 
                especially women, gaining greater access to the inputs, 
                skills, networking, resource management capacity, 
                bargaining power, financing, and market linkages needed 
                to sustain their long-term economic prosperity;
                    (C) support the improvement of the nutritional 
                status of women and children, especially during the 
                critical 1,000-day window starting at the beginning of 
                a woman's pregnancy and ending 2 years after her 
                child's birth, with a focus on reducing child stunting;
                    (D) urge target countries and communities to 
                respect and promote the land tenure rights of local 
                communities, particularly those of women and small-
                scale producers;
                    (E) support the long-term success of programs by 
                building the capacity of local organizations and 
                institutions;
                    (F) integrate resilience and nutrition strategies 
                into food security programs, such that chronically 
                vulnerable populations are better able to build safety 
                nets, secure livelihoods, access markets, manage 
                resources, and access opportunities for longer-term 
                economic growth;
                    (G) develop community and producer resilience to 
                natural disasters, emergencies, and natural occurrences 
                that adversely impact productivity and livelihoods;
                    (H) harness science, technology, and innovation, 
                including the research conducted at Feed the Future 
                Innovation Labs, or any successor entities, throughout 
                the United States;
                    (I) leverage resources and expertise through 
                partnerships with the private sector, farm 
                organizations, cooperatives, civil society, research 
                entities, and academic institutions;
                    (J) support collaboration between United States 
                universities and public and private institutions in 
                developing countries to promote agricultural 
                development and innovation;
                    (K) set clear and transparent selection criteria 
                for target countries, regions, and intended 
                beneficiaries of assistance provided under this Act;
                    (L) set specific and measurable goals, benchmarks, 
                timetables, performance metrics, and monitoring and 
                evaluation plans that reflect international best 
                practices relating to transparency, accountability, 
                food and nutrition security, and agriculture-led 
                economic growth, consistent with the policy objectives 
                described in the Feed the Future Strategy; and
                    (M) include criteria and methodology for graduating 
                countries from United States assistance provided under 
                this Act once the countries have achieved certain 
                benchmarks.
            (2) Governing law.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law, in carrying out the purposes of this Act, assistance may 
        be provided to the Department of State and the United States 
        Agency for International Development pursuant to sections 103 
        and 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.).
    (b) Feed the Future Coordination.--The President, or a designee of 
the President, shall coordinate, through a whole-of-government 
approach, the efforts of relevant Federal departments and agencies in 
implementing the Feed the Future Strategy by--
            (1) establishing policy coherence, monitoring and 
        evaluation systems, and coordination across all relevant 
        Federal departments and agencies;
            (2) aligning linkages with other initiatives and strategies 
        of the United States Agency for International Development, the 
        Department of Agriculture, the Department of State, the 
        Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Overseas Private 
        Investment Corporation, the Peace Corps, the United States 
        Trade Representative, the United States Africa Development 
        Foundation, the Department of Commerce, the Department of the 
        Treasury, and the United States Geological Survey;
            (3) establishing platforms for regular consultation and 
        collaboration with key stakeholders, including--
                    (A) national and local governments;
                    (B) multilateral institutions;
                    (C) private voluntary organizations;
                    (D) cooperatives;
                    (E) the private sector;
                    (F) local nongovernmental and civil society 
                organizations;
                    (G) faith-based organizations;
                    (H) research and academic institutions;
                    (I) congressional committees; and
                    (J) other stakeholders, as appropriate;
            (4) leveraging the expertise of the Department of 
        Agriculture in agricultural development, nutrition, trade, 
        research, and education; and
            (5) establishing and leading regular public consultations 
        in target countries.

SEC. 6. REPORTING.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and not later than December 31 of each year 
thereafter through 2020, the President, or a designee of the President, 
shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that 
describes the status of the implementation of the Feed the Future 
Strategy.
    (b) Content.--The report required under subsection (a) shall--
            (1) contain an appendix of the Feed the Future Strategy;
            (2) identify any substantial changes made in the Feed the 
        Future Strategy during the preceding calendar year;
            (3) identify the indicators that will be used to measure 
        results, set benchmarks for progress over time, and establish 
        mechanisms for reporting results in an open and transparent 
        manner;
            (4) describe the progress made in implementing the Feed the 
        Future Strategy;
            (5) assess the progress and results of implementing 
        international food and nutrition security programming on the 
        policy objectives set forth in section 3(a);
            (6) indicate how findings from monitoring and evaluation 
        were incorporated into program design and budget decisions;
            (7) contain a transparent, open, and detailed accounting of 
        spending under this Act by all relevant Federal agencies, 
        including a disaggregated accounting of assistance provided 
        through different procurement mechanisms;
            (8) identify any United States legal or regulatory 
        impediments that could obstruct the effective implementation of 
        the programming referred to in paragraph (5);
            (9) describe how the Feed the Future Strategy relates to 
        other United States food security and development assistance 
        programs on the continuum from emergency food aid through 
        sustainable, agriculture-led economic growth;
            (10) contain a clear gender analysis of programming that 
        includes established disaggregated gender indicators to better 
        analyze outcomes for food productivity, income growth, control 
        of assets, equity in access to inputs, jobs and markets, and 
        nutrition;
            (11) describe the methodology and criteria for the 
        selection of target countries;
            (12) describe related strategies and benchmarks for 
        graduating target countries and communities from assistance 
        provided under the Feed the Future Strategy over time, 
        including by building resilience, reducing risk, and enhancing 
        the sustainability of outcomes from United States investments 
        in agriculture and nutrition security;
            (13) assess efforts to coordinate United States 
        international food security and nutrition programs, activities, 
        and initiatives with--
                    (A) other bilateral donors;
                    (B) international and multilateral organizations;
                    (C) international financial institutions;
                    (D) target country governments;
                    (E) international and local private voluntary, 
                nongovernmental, and civil society organizations;
                    (F) research and academic institutions; and
                    (G) other stakeholders;
            (14) assess the status of institutional capacity building 
        efforts, including higher education;
            (15) assess United States Government-facilitated private 
        investment in related sectors in target countries and 
        communities;
            (16) assess the impact of private sector investment on--
                    (A) the economic opportunities available to small-
                scale producers, especially women;
                    (B) improving international food and nutrition 
                security;
                    (C) local land tenure issues; and
                    (D) enhancing inclusive, sustainable agricultural 
                development;
            (17) be prepared in consultation with relevant United 
        States Government agencies; and
            (18) incorporate a plan for regularly reviewing and 
        updating strategies, partnerships, and programs and sharing 
        lessons learned with a wide range of stakeholders in an open 
        and transparent manner.
    (c) Public Availability of Information.--The information referred 
to in subsection (b) shall be made publicly accessible in an electronic 
format and in a timely manner.
    (d) Government Accountability Office Report.--During the 1-year 
period ending on December 31, 2019, the Comptroller General of the 
United States shall publish a report that--
            (1) summarizes the progress of the strategy described in 
        section 5(a);
            (2) assesses the whole-of-government coordination described 
        in section 5(b);
            (3) assesses the mechanisms through which United States 
        assistance authorized under this Act is provided, including a 
        list of the major recipients of United States contracts, 
        grants, and cooperative agreements;
            (4) includes a review of evaluations conducted on 
        assistance provided under this Act; and
            (5) assesses the budget decisionmaking process, including 
        the role of monitoring and evaluation in program design.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State 
and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development to carry out this Act, for each of the fiscal years 2015 
through 2020, 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).
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