[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 159 (Thursday, October 29, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10887-S10889]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             FOOD SECURITY

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, last week the United Nations Food Agency 
announced there are now a record 1 billion people in the world who go 
hungry--nearly one-sixth of the world's population. The crisis that 
caught the world's attention last year has escalated and has had a 
devastating effect in all corners of the globe.
  On my left is a headline from the Associated Press from a few days 
ago: ``A Record One Billion Are Hungry, U.N. Report Says.'' This chart 
tracks from 1969 forward. We can see where it remained relatively 
stable for a while and then started to pick up in the early part of 
this decade, to the point now it is above 1 billion and is going in the 
wrong direction, going far too high--1 billion people in the world 
hungry.
  While the number of undernourished has increased steadily since the 
1990s, there was a sharp spike last year due to the global food crisis. 
We can work to address this problem, I believe. We should work to 
address this problem, and I believe we must work to address this 
problem.
  Some people might say there is a bad economy in the United States. We 
have other major challenges and priorities. Why should we worry or 
address a problem that might seem too big to deal with and it is mostly 
about other places, they might argue.

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  We know what hunger has done here in America, what a lack of food 
security has done to our country. But we also know it has devastating 
impacts across the world.
  There are at least two major reasons why the United States of America 
has to be deeply concerned about that headline of 1 billion people 
going hungry. First, it is a humanitarian crisis of incalculable 
proportions. As one of the richest countries in the world, we have, I 
believe, a moral obligation to help as we can and help when we can. I 
think this is one of those moments.
  This crisis is solvable with a combination of assistance and emphasis 
on providing small farmers around the world with the know-how, the 
technology, and the means to provide for themselves.
  There is also a second reason why we have to address this problem, 
and it involves something as fundamental as national security.
  Instability arising from conflict over access to food is a documented 
and real problem. It is irrefutable based upon what we have seen in the 
last couple of years. Last year's food crisis, unfortunately, brought 
this into acute focus. We saw it in Somalia where struggles to gain 
access to food have enveloped population centers in violence. We have 
seen it in Egypt during last year's bread riots. And we have seen it in 
Haiti where hospital beds filled last year with those injured during 
food riots. Increased instability in any of these countries, not to 
mention so many others, has a direct impact on U.S. national security 
and our national interests.
  There are a host of examples from across the world that illustrate 
the scope of the problem. Here are a few.
  Higher rates of hunger are shown to be linked to gender inequality, 
especially in terms of education and literacy, which also negatively 
affects the rate of child malnutrition. It is estimated that 60 
percent--imagine this--60 percent of the world's chronically hungry are 
women and girls. Sixty percent of those chronically hungry in the world 
are women and girls. And 20 percent of that 60 percent are children 
under the age of 5.
  This is particularly evident in Chad which, according to the 
International Food Policy Research organization, ranks fifth worst on 
the 2009 global hunger index, second in terms of gender inequality, and 
has a female literacy rate of 13 percent, compared to 41 percent for 
men in that country.
  IFPR's research shows that equalizing men and women's status could 
reduce the number of malnourished children in Chad by 1.7 million 
people in sub-Saharan Africa and a shocking 13.4 million in South Asia.
  It goes beyond the one example in Chad. Hunger in Pakistan poses both 
problems. It poses both a humanitarian problem as well as a security 
problem. Last year, over 77 million people in Pakistan were considered 
``food insecure'' by the World Food Program. That is nearly half of the 
population of that country. As Pakistan's military is conducting new 
operations against the Taliban, that number is expected to increase. 
Hunger and competition for food can lead to further instability and 
potentially undermine government leadership at a very critical time.
  Finally, the last example. In South America, Bolivia remains one of 
the least developed countries with more than two-thirds of its 
population living below the poverty line. Poverty is the main cause of 
food insecurity in Bolivia. The income of 40 percent of its population 
and 59 percent in rural areas is not enough to meet basic food needs. 
This also has had a real impact on the health of the 
population. Malnutrition, for example, in Bolivia has stunted the 
growth of nearly 30 percent of children.

  What should be done to address this urgent humanitarian and national 
security crisis? A couple of things. First, for too long, the 
international community has relied on an assistance model that provided 
food but not the capacity to grow food. We are starting to see a shift 
in thinking as the assistance community is more strategic about how 
they provide the training and technical assistance necessary to help 
the world's hungry.
  In 1980--another stunning number that I recite here--17 percent of 
aid contributed by foreign countries went to agriculture. This number 
plummeted to 3.8 percent in 2006 and has only slightly improved in 
recent years. Imagine that: The percent of aid contributed by foreign 
countries that goes to agriculture was 17 percent worldwide but has now 
gone down to a little less than 4 percent.
  Last year, the Bush administration responded quickly to the food 
crisis with emergency assistance. I was proud to be part of an effort 
to urge them to do that along with Senator Durbin and others. This was 
an important thing to do at the time and it was the right thing to do. 
While we may need to provide additional emergency aid to address the 
current crisis, we should simultaneously attack the root cause of the 
problems.
  I applaud President Obama and his administration for their efforts to 
help the hungry in America and across the world. In September, the 
White House announced the Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative, a 
comprehensive approach to food security based on a commitment, led by 
people in the administration, that focuses on both planning and 
collaboration. Secretary of State Clinton is leading a visionary 
``whole of government'' effort to help the world's hungry. As the 
administration works out the details of implementation, I hope and 
trust we will maintain a sharp focus on the ability of small-scale 
farmers to grow food at an increased and sustainable rate.
  In the Senate, we have also worked to bring attention to the world's 
hungry. Senator Lugar, a respected leader in this field for decades, 
and I joined together to introduce the Global Food Security Act earlier 
this year.
  Our bill has three fundamental objectives. First, the bill will 
provide for enhanced coordination within the U.S. Government so that 
USAID, the Department of Agriculture, and other involved entities are 
not working at cross-purposes. We do that by establishing a new 
position, the Special Coordinator for Food Security, who will report 
directly to the President of the United States on international food 
security issues and who would forge a comprehensive food security 
strategy.
  Second, our bill would expand U.S. investment in the agricultural 
productivity of developing nations so that nations facing escalating 
food prices can rely less on emergency food assistance and instead take 
the steps to expand their own production.
  Every dollar invested in agricultural research and development 
generates $9 worth of food in the developing world. This provision can 
serve as a vehicle for the President's pledge to more than double the 
U.S. agricultural development assistance over the next 3 years.
  Third, our bill would modernize our system of emergency food 
assistance so that it is more flexible and can provide aid on short 
notice. We do that by authorizing a new $500 million fund for U.S. 
emergency food assistance when appropriate.
  Finally, we should note that our bill, the Global Food Security Act, 
has passed through our Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and we hope 
it will be on the Senate floor soon.
  This is one of those rare occasions where a serious crisis is greeted 
with serious administration support, interagency cooperation, as well 
as--we don't hear this too often--bipartisan collaboration in the 
Senate and House. This is the right thing to do and will ultimately 
enhance the security of the United States and our allies.
  The global food crisis last summer had a devastating effect on the 
poor in every corner of the world, and today we continue to see its 
terrible results. In times of economic troubles, it is difficult to 
find funds for all programs, including international affairs. Yet I 
believe we are summoned by our conscience to respond to this 
humanitarian crisis.
  I also believe we have an obligation--a deep abiding obligation--to 
strengthen our national security by enhancing food security here at 
home and around the world, especially in places where food insecurity 
threatens U.S. national interests.
  If enacted, the Global Food Security Act has the potential to help us 
meet these challenges and obligations. We have a plan that can work. 
Let's start to attack the roots of this terrible problem so another 
record number of hungry is not set next year, and let's hope we can 
somehow alter or change that headline of 1 billion people going hungry 
in the world.

[[Page S10889]]

  I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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