[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 23 (Thursday, February 5, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1679-S1680]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. LUGAR (for himself, Mr. Casey, and Mr. Durbin):
  S. 384. 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; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
  Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I am pleased today to announce the 
introduction of the Global Food Security Act of 2009. I would like to 
thank my friend Senator Casey for lending his ideas and support to this 
bipartisan effort, and Senator Durbin for his early cosponsorship. 
Finally, I want to thank the members of USAID's informal food security 
team, who advised us on the nature of food insecurity and possible 
legislative solutions.
  As we know, food prices started a steep climb in the fall of 2007 and 
continued to increase during 2008. The increases pushed an additional 
75 million people into poverty. While prices have abated somewhat, 
millions of people still face difficulty in food access and 
availability, and malnutrition rates in many parts of the world remain 
alarmingly high. The price crisis demonstrated that there are 
significant structural challenges to attaining global food security. 
The system is vulnerable to periodic disruptions that both expose and 
exacerbate deeper problems.
  We live in a world where nearly one billion people suffer from 
chronic food insecurity. When droughts occur, hurricanes hit, or other 
disruptions arise--creating transitory food insecurity the economic 
prospects of those living in or near poverty are gravely threatened. In 
fact, the World Food Program reports that 25,000 people die each day 
from malnutrition-related causes. Health experts advise us that a 
diverse and secure food supply has major health benefits, including 
increasing child survival, improving cognitive and physical development 
of children, and increasing immune system function including resistance 
to HIV/AIDS. Prolonged malnutrition in children results in stunting and 
cognitive difficulties that last a lifetime.
  Food insecurity is a global tragedy, but it is also an opportunity 
for the United States. The United States is the indisputable world 
leader in agricultural production and technology. A more focused effort 
on our part to join with other nations to increase yields, create 
economic opportunities for the rural poor, and broaden agricultural 
knowledge could begin a new era in U.S. diplomacy. Such an effort could 
improve our broader trade relations and serve as a model for similar 
endeavors in the areas of energy and scientific cooperation. Achieving 
food security for all people also would have profound implications for 
peace and U.S. national security. Hungry people are desperate people, 
and desperation often sows the seeds of conflict and extremism.
  The United States has always stood for big ideas--from the founding 
of the

[[Page S1680]]

Republic on the basis of freedom to President Kennedy's vow to put a 
man on the moon. One of today's big ideas should be the eradication of 
hunger. We can bring America's dedication to science, innovation, 
technology, and education together to lead an effort devoted to 
overcoming the obstacles to food security.
  The Global Food Security Act of 2009 is a 5-year authorization that 
seeks to provide solutions that will have the greatest effect. First, 
it creates a Special Coordinator for Global Food Security and puts that 
person in charge of developing a food security strategy. We call on the 
development of that strategy to take a whole-of-government approach and 
to work with other international donors, the NGO community, and the 
private sector. Addressing food security requires more than investing 
in agriculture; it also requires improvements in infrastructure, the 
development of markets, access to finance, and sound land tenure 
systems, to name just a few.
  Second, the bill authorizes additional resources for agricultural 
productivity and rural development. U.S. foreign assistance for 
agriculture has declined by nearly 70 percent since the 1980s. 
Globally, only four percent of official development assistance from all 
donors is currently allocated for agriculture. This amounts to neglect 
of what should be considered one of the most vital sectors in the 
alleviation of poverty. Food shortages are likely to recur frequently 
if the United States and the global community fail to invest in 
agricultural productivity in the developing world.
  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. Funds can be 
used for emergency food and non-food assistance. The Government 
Accountability Office reports that it can often take four to six months 
from the time a crisis occurs until U.S. food shipments arrive. Our 
intention is to provide USAID with the flexibility to respond to 
emergencies more quickly in order to complement food aid programs in 
the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
  World leaders must understand that over the long term, satisfying 
global demand for more and better food can be achieved only by 
increasing yields per acre. In the 1930s, my father, Marvin Lugar, 
produced corn yields of approximately 40 to 50 bushels per acre. Today, 
the Lugar farm yields about 150 bushels per acre on the same land in 
Marion County, Indiana. The Green Revolution saw the introduction of 
high yield seeds and improved agricultural techniques that resulted in 
a near doubling of cereal grain production per acre over 20 years. But 
more recently, food production has not kept pace with population 
increases. By 2050, it is projected that population growth will require 
another doubling of food production. Unless much greater effort is 
devoted to this problem, the world is likely to experience more 
frequent and intense food crises that increase migration, stimulate 
conflicts and intensify pandemics.
  Moreover, the task of doubling food production is likely to be 
complicated by the effects of climate change. The important report by 
Sir Nicolas Stern estimated that a 2 degree celsius increase in global 
temperature will cut agricultural yields in Africa by as much as 35 
percent. Thus, farmers around the world will be asked to meet the 
demands of global demographic expansion, even as they may be contending 
with a degrading agricultural environment that significantly depresses 
yields in some regions.
  Increasing acreage under production will not satisfy the growth in 
food demand, and these steps come with serious environmental and 
national security costs. We need a second green revolution that will 
benefit developed and developing nations alike.
  Recent studies have demonstrated that funds spent in agriculture can 
be up to twice as beneficial to economic growth as spending in other 
areas. It seems, therefore, that our overall foreign aid strategy would 
benefit from restoring agriculture programs to their former prominence. 
The bill increases funding for these programs in the first year by $750 
million. The increase would reach $2.5 billion in year five. Because 
those who subsist on less than $1 a day spend at least half their 
incomes on food, according to the International Food Policy Research 
Institute, the bill highlights the need to focus on those living in 
extreme poverty.
  In thinking about how to approach agricultural productivity, we tried 
to draw from the experience of U.S. land grant colleges and the 
contributions they have made to U.S. agriculture. The bill seeks to 
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.
  Universities and research centers can play an important role in 
achieving technological advances that are appropriate to local 
conditions. As such, the bill calls for increasing collaborative 
research on the full range of biotechnological advances including 
genetically modified technologies.
  I hope that our bill will begin a productive dialogue on how our 
government can be a more effective partner with NGOs and private actors 
in promoting food security. There is no good reason why nearly a 
billion people should be food insecure or that the world should have to 
endure the social upheaval and risks of conflict that this insecurity 
causes.
  I look forward to working with colleagues to improve the U.S. and 
global efforts to alleviate food insecurity and advance agricultural 
knowledge and technology worldwide.
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