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LEVERAGING U.S. FUNDS: THE STUNNING GLOBAL

IMPACT OF NUTRITION AND SUPPLEMENTS

DURING THE FIRST 1,000 DAYS

BRIEFING AND HEARING

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICA, GLOBAL HEALTH, 

GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS, AND 

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

JUNE 9, 2016

Serial No. 114–212

Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs

(

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/ or

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/

(II)

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

EDWARD R. ROYCE, California, Chairman 

CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey 

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida 

DANA ROHRABACHER, California 

STEVE CHABOT, Ohio 

JOE WILSON, South Carolina 

MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas 

TED POE, Texas 

MATT SALMON, Arizona 

DARRELL E. ISSA, California 

TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania 

JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina 

MO BROOKS, Alabama 

PAUL COOK, California 

RANDY K. WEBER SR., Texas 

SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania 

RON DESANTIS, Florida 

MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina 

TED S. YOHO, Florida 

CURT CLAWSON, Florida 

SCOTT DESJARLAIS, Tennessee 

REID J. RIBBLE, Wisconsin 

DAVID A. TROTT, Michigan 

LEE M. ZELDIN, New York 

DANIEL DONOVAN, New York 

ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York 

BRAD SHERMAN, California 

GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York 

ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey 

GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia 

THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida 

BRIAN HIGGINS, New York 

KAREN BASS, California 

WILLIAM KEATING, Massachusetts 

DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island 

ALAN GRAYSON, Florida 

AMI BERA, California 

ALAN S. LOWENTHAL, California 

GRACE MENG, New York 

LOIS FRANKEL, Florida 

TULSI GABBARD, Hawaii 

JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas 

ROBIN L. KELLY, Illinois 

BRENDAN F. BOYLE, Pennsylvania

AMY PORTER, Chief of Staff THOMAS SHEEHY, Staff Director

JASON STEINBAUM, Democratic Staff Director 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICA, GLOBAL HEALTH, GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS, AND

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey, Chairman 

MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina 

CURT CLAWSON, Florida 

SCOTT DESJARLAIS, Tennessee 

DANIEL DONOVAN, New York 

KAREN BASS, California 

DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island 

AMI BERA, California 

(III)

C O N T E N T S 

Page

BRIEFER 

Mr. Ajay Markanday, Director, Liaison Office for North America, Food and 

Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ............................................... 4

WITNESS 

Beth Dunford, Ph.D., Assistant to the Administrator, Bureau for Food Security, U.S. Agency for International Development .............................................. 17

LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD 

Mr. Ajay Markanday: Prepared statement ............................................................ 8

Beth Dunford, Ph.D.: Prepared statement ............................................................ 20

APPENDIX 

Hearing notice .......................................................................................................... 38

Hearing minutes ...................................................................................................... 39

(1)

LEVERAGING U.S. FUNDS: THE STUNNING 

GLOBAL IMPACT OF NUTRITION AND 

SUPPLEMENTS DURING THE FIRST 

1,000 DAYS 

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICA, GLOBAL HEALTH,

GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS, AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS,

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS,

Washington, DC. 

The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2 o’clock p.m., in 

room 2255 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Christopher H. 

Smith (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. 

Mr. SMITH. The hearing will come to order and good afternoon 

to everybody. 

We are here today to examine the global impact of nutrition and 

supplements during the first 1,000 days of life, a period from conception to roughly age two, and how we can leverage U.S. taxpayer 

funds to achieve maximum results. 

As you know, this subcommittee has played a key role in advocating for an enhanced focus on food security. For the past two 

Congresses, I have been working on authorizing legislation for our 

flagship nutrition and food security program, Feed the Future, and 

worked very closely with Dr. Shah before he left USAID, on 

crafting that legislation. 

I authored the Global Food Security Act of 2015, H.R. 1567, 

which passed the House in April, as did its predecessor bill in the 

last Congress, thanks in large part to the leadership of Majority 

Leader Kevin McCarthy, who has a very personal and key interest 

in ensuring that this legislation becomes law. 

Today’s program also follows upon a hearing we did in the latter 

part of 2015 called Food Security and Nutrition Programs in Africa, 

which highlighted the role implementer play on the ground as well 

as a hearing we held last Congress that we called ‘‘The First One 

Thousand Days: Development Aid Programs to Bolster Health and 

Nutrition.’’

For this afternoon’s program, we will step back and take a look 

at the role played not only by the U.S. Government, which has 

been pivotal, but also the United Nations. 

Thus, we will be hearing from USAID’s Assistant to the Administrator Dr. Beth Dunford, who will relay to us remarkable results 

that USAID-led Feed the Future initiative has achieved in reducVerDate 0ct 09 2002 13:59 Sep 22, 2016 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\_AGH\060916\20382 SHIRL
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ing stunting by emphasizing those first 1,000 days and the implication of those results for developing nations that are seeking to grow 

not only their human capital but also their economies. 

We will also be briefed first by Ajay Markanday of the Innovations Food and Agricultural Organization. Part of our ability to leverage U.S. funds depends on our partners who play key roles in 

enhancing food security throughout the globe and none is more important in this regard than the FAO. 

I want to highlight that in his statement there is an underscored 

in a key point of this hearing the rationale for supporting proper 

nutrition is not simply a moral imperative but it is also economic. 

It has been long established that malnutrition undermines economic growth and perpetuates poverty. Indeed, there is perhaps no 

wiser investment that we could make not only in an individual person but also in the economies of the developing world than to concentrate on ensuring that sufficient nutrition and health assistance 

is given during those first 1,000 days of life. 

Children who do not receive adequate nutrition in utero are more 

likely to experience lifelong cognitive and physical deficiencies, due 

in particular to stunting. UNICEF estimates that one in four children worldwide are stunted due to a lack of adequate nutrition. 

The African Union Commission’s Cost of Hunger in Africa study 

estimated that the economic costs associated with child under nutrition are substantial, from 2 percent to 16 percent of the gross 

national product in several African nations. For instance, this cost was estimated at $4.7 billion in Ethiopia 

in 2000 alone, which is equivalent to 16 percent of Ethiopia’s GNP. 

Conversely, by helping women throughout pregnancy receive adequate nutrition and supplemental micro nutrients such as iodine, 

Vitamin A, and folic acid, and ensuring that they are well nourished by nursing, children and mothers thrive. 

To give one example, studies indicate that if we provide women 

of childbearing years with the recommended dose of folic acid during the 3 months prior to pregnancy and during the first month of 

pregnancy, the risk of autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, is reduced by a whopping 40 percent. 

We do look forward to hearing some of the results that USAID 

has been able to accomplish with regard to reducing stunting, 

again, attributable to the Feed the Future program. 

It is also my hope that as we look now to the next administration 

that we will be able to enshrine food security and nutrition as a 

firmly planted cornerstone of U.S. policy. 

Consider how President Bush beginning in 2002 had the initial 

foresight to elevate the import role of food security in U.S. foreign 

policy, especially in Africa, via the Initiative to End Hunger in Africa, or the IEHA, which was funded through development assistance 

and implemented through USAID. 

At the same time, the Millennium Challenge Corporation began 

making substantial investments in agriculture-led economic growth 

programs, particularly in Africa. 

This is a policy course that President Obama has continued and 

built upon with the Feed the Future initiative instituted at the G8 

meeting in Italy in 2009 when the countries of the world came together to ensure that we cultivate resiliency in food insecure counVerDate 0ct 09 2002 13:59 Sep 22, 2016 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\_AGH\060916\20382 SHIRL
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tries so they can withstand the next food crisis such as what we 

saw in 2007 to 2008, a crisis that Dr. Beth Dunford was on the 

front lines in battling. 

It is my hope and the committee’s hope that the next administration, whomever the President may be, will build upon this and continue that focus, for by addressing nutrition during the first 1,000 

days of life we can help ensure that the next 25,000 days, or whatever the number our Creator has allotted for that individual, are 

filled with good health. 

I would like to now yield to my good friend and colleague, Ranking Member Bass, for an opening statement. 

Ms. BASS. Thank you, Mr. Chair. 

I also want to thank Mr. Markanday and Dr. Dunford for appearing before the subcommittee this afternoon, and I look forward to 

hearing their perspective and testimony on what is one of the most 

important issues facing the developing and developed world. 

As I have said in the past, the U.S. has long been a leader in 

the realm of food aid internationally and over the years has contributed consistently and innovatively regarding the global challenge. 

President Obama established the Bureau of Food Security in 

2010 and by doing so demonstrated the high priority that we place 

on addressing the issue of global food insecurity. 

This key decision by the Obama administration has led to greater coordination amongst government agencies and leveraged strategically government efforts to combat global hunger and food insecurity by not only working with recipient governments but also with 

international organizations and other donors. 

Feed the Future stands out in this effort to combat some of the 

most challenging examples of food insecurity worldwide. 

I believe one of the reasons that the U.S. has led so effectively 

in this arena is the focus that the government places on strong 

partnerships with recipient countries. 

Also, the Feed the Future program has worked with not only 

host governments, but also the private sector and, critically, local 

civil society, I believe, this inclusive approach is the key to the initiative’s effective implementation. 

Addressing food security challenges effectively also means addressing the challenges facing newborns in countries plagued with 

food insecurity. 

In this regard, I look forward to hearing the testimony of Dr. 

Dunford regarding progress and ongoing challenges regarding 

stunting. Of particular interest to me are identifying what approaches work successfully and whether success in one region of 

Africa, for example, can be duplicated in another region. 

Also, I would like to know what role capacity training has played 

in these efforts. I would also welcome statistical information regarding successes and challenges faced by countries in both Africa 

and Asia and how our country in concert with the host countries, 

the international community, and donors can help address such 

challenges. 

Thank you. 

Mr. SMITH. Thank you very much, Ms. Bass. 

4

I would like to now point out that pursuant to committee rules 

we will suspend the hearing and convene an official briefing in its 

stead to receive a statement from Dr. Ajay Markanday of the Food 

and Agricultural Organization. 

He is the director of its liaison office for North America and is 

an expert in sustainable agricultural development with over 35 

years of experience in over 20 countries, having served in a number 

of international development agencies. He is uniquely positioned 

and has a keen understanding of the importance of leveraging 

international organizations to further global development goals and 

initiatives. 

He has earned many accolades and commodations for his efforts 

in promoting global food and nutrition security and most recently 

received and was recognized by the Prime Minister of Cambodia for 

his work on the country’s agricultural and food security program. 

Mr. Markanday, the floor is yours. 

STATEMENT OF MR. AJAY MARKANDAY, DIRECTOR, LIAISON 

OFFICE FOR NORTH AMERICA, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE 

ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS 

Mr. MARKANDAY. On behalf of Dr. Graziano da Silva, the Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, I would like to thank Chairman Royce, Chairman Smith, and 

Ranking Members Bass and Engel for the opportunity and honor 

to brief you this afternoon on the work the FAO is undertaking to 

support the efforts of the United States in the fight against global 

hunger and malnutrition. 

I would also like to acknowledge USAID, an extremely valued 

partner of FAO and, especially, Dr. Beth Dunford and the Feed the 

Future team who are staunch advocates for the principles of Chairman Smith’s Global Food Security Act. 

Chairman Smith’s contribution, passion, and unyielding drive in 

advancing the health and nutrition needs of children worldwide is 

at the core of what brings us here today. 

From the beginning, FAO has been inspired and supported by 

generous contributions from the people of the United States. The 

United States and FAO have a historic relationship and the U.S. 

was instrumental in its creation and leadership. 

In 1943, President Franklin Roosevelt convened 40 countries in 

Hot Springs, Virginia to charter an international organization dedicated to global food nutrition and agriculture. 

So, Mr. Chairman and honorable members of the subcommittee, 

FAO owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to your country’s vision 

for a world free from hunger. 

To this day, America’s vision remains at the heart of FAO’s charter. Chairman Smith’s Global Food Security Act and its significant 

bipartisan sponsorship further demonstrates U.S. leadership where 

no child is left malnourished. 

I hope that the U.S. further leverages the longstanding relationship and partnership with FAO in advancing the act’s worthy principles. 

As background and to further underscore the significant relationship between the U.S. and FAO, it is important to note that the 

5

U.S. is not only FAO’s founding member country but also our largest resource partner. 

The United States contributes the lion’s share of the FAO budget 

and is second only to the European Commission in voluntary contributions. 

In addition to significant financial contributions through USAID, 

USDA, and other U.S. agencies, FAO receives valuable in-kind contributions from the U.S. through scientific and technical expertise. 

U.S. expertise had been instrumental in shaping key FAO policies and programs at the global and country levels. Major areas of 

cooperation include food and nutrition security, emergency assistance and resilience, food safety, and sustainable agricultural production and natural resource management. There is ample scope 

for expanding and deepening our collaboration in nutrition. 

And now I will turn to the concerted efforts of FAO in the area 

of global nutrition in the first 1,000 days. 

Ending hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition is our director 

general’s highest priority. In 2014, FAO co-hosted the second international conference in nutrition where 170 countries made the 

noble commitment of reducing all forms of malnutrition under the 

Rome Declaration. 

Following the Declaration, I am pleased that the United Nations 

General Assembly has unanimously endorsed the Decade of Action 

for Nutrition earlier this year. 

Supporting proper nutrition is not simply a moral imperative 

but, it makes economic sense. Malnutrition undermines economic 

growth and perpetuates poverty with productivity losses to the individual estimated at greater than 10 percent of lifetime earnings. 

To the economy, losses are high and in Africa and Asia are estimated at over 11 percent per annum of GDP. Yet, targeted investments in promoting nutrition, providing micro nutrients, and supporting community-based programs targeted at children rank 

among the highest of all investments. 

Improving nutrition in the first 1,000 days must be backed by 

sustainable private-public partnerships. In this regard, FAO values 

the role of the private sector and recognizes its essential contribution to ensure nutritional quality and food safety, investment to infrastructure and storage, and improvements in supply chains. 

The private sector is our key ally under our private sector strategy. The first 1,000 days in a child’s life are critical. Malnutrition 

leads to infection and stunted growth, resulting in poor physical 

and cognitive development, as Chairman Smith has just pointed 

out. 

However, malnutrition during this period can effectively be addressed through targeted investments, proper proteins and vitamins, and especially through diversified diets. 

FAO’s unique comparative advantage and strength amongst development partners includes the ability to convene governments 

and other actors, the sharing of information and best practices, the 

development of effective policy dialogue, the development and dissemination of norm standards and guidelines, and the delivery of 

technical assistance at the primary school as well as the university 

levels. 

6

The key elements of FAO’s comprehensive strategy on nutrition 

include increased knowledge in scientific exchange, diversified food 

systems, the importance of food intake and food safety, and creating an enabling environment by main streaming those policies 

into national agricultural and investment plans. 

FAO has partnered with USAID in many spheres, especially 

under FANTA to monitor programs, progress in outcomes and has 

developed indicators. 

Additional collaborative efforts with USAID and Feed the Future 

include field-based trials in countries like Bangladesh and Cambodia, where I served, and Zambia. 

A good example is Bangladesh, where FAO leveraged financing 

from USAID to leverage other financing from the European Union. 

These activities are now being scaled up as part of the USAID—

FAO Meeting the Under Nutrition Challenge program with mainstreaming this program into national food policy and country investment plans. 

FAO also works closely with USAID in support of the African 

Union’s new partnership for African development in building capacities of the 50 member states of the African Development Bank to 

main-stream nutrition and agriculture investment plans through 

the CAADP Nutrition Capacity Development Initiative. 

Mr. Chairman and honorable members, in conclusion, FAO is an 

international organization and is at the service of its members. We 

are both an instrument of the collective policies and the goals of 

our member governments. 

As I have noted, the United States is a leading member and partner of FAO. Our history is longstanding and your contribution is 

unmatched. The U.S. should expect results from FAO to be a collaborative instrument in furthering the goals of the Global Food 

Security Act. 

We have 197 member countries and organizations, and offices 

and programs in 130 countries. Therefore, FAO can be strategically 

leveraged by the United States as a partner to collaborate directly 

with our members who achieve far-reaching positive goals, results, 

and progress. 

For example, the last world food summit hosted by the FAO 

brought together 5,000 delegates from 180 countries including 60 

heads of state. During this summit, $20 billion was pledged to end 

world hunger. 

FAO has the political neutrality and mandate to globally raise 

levels of nutrition and standards of living and FAO can be instrumental in articulating and fostering your global health, nutrition 

goals, and initiatives. 

Chairman Smith, Ranking Member Bass and members of the 

subcommittee, recognizing that your oversight extends to international organizations, I leave you with one final thought for your 

consideration and for this I am removing my FAO cap and doffing 

my international civil servant cap. 

In addition to the FAO, I have worked with and within many 

international organizations globally. I cannot think of a single one 

that, like FAO, which the United States does not contribute to and 

invest in generously. 

7

In fact, the United States of America usually invests to the vast 

majority of other countries. These international organizations to 

which the U.S. belongs and invests can and should be effective and 

responsive instruments in promoting sound global policy be it for 

health, nutrition, trade, economics, or wherever your priorities 

exist. 

For many countries that have limited national resources, they effectively use international organizations as vehicles to leverage 

their policy agenda and goals. 

I submit for your consideration that the U.S. can be even more 

effective in your strategic engagement with these organizations and 

enrich new investments substantially. 

Demand return on your investments. And on that note, I will 

now replace my FAO cap and pledge to this subcommittee and the 

entire U.S. Government and citizens that as the director of FAO for 

North America you have my highest assurances that I will strive 

every day to deliver results and return on your investment on behalf of FAO. 

Once again, Chairman Smith and members of the subcommittee, 

I thank you for the honor and privilege of briefing you today. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Markanday follows:]

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Mr. SMITH. Mr. Markanday, thank you for your excellent statement, even more so your extraordinary leadership. And without objection, your full statement will be made a part of the record. 

I just want to say, I know that the rules preclude us asking a 

number of questions. But I would want to thank you for underscoring the importance of the Decade of Action on Nutrition, and 

it does coincide, I believe, in a very good way, a synergistic way 

with the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals so that—but it 

is a matter of prioritization with the SDGs. 

There is so much in the SDG mandate that nutrition could easily 

get lost. So having that decade of action, having your leadership, 

of course, having Dr. Dunford’s leadership and the leadership of 

the U.S. Feed the Future initiative hopefully will keep this front 

and center because this is a winnable initiative. 

And every time we win we collectively—the international community, women, children, and families’ lives are enhanced. It can’t 

be said enough, and Dr. Dunford says in her statement that in 

2011, 45 percent of child deaths, 3.1 million children, were attributable to undernutrition. 

That is, in a way, a scandal that we haven’t even done more to 

eviscerate that causation of death, which we could do, I believe. 

Thanks also for recognizing the generosity of the American public. 

We often get criticized that on a per capita basis we don’t provide 

enough. Very often not on the ledger or airlift, what our military 

does, working side by side with USAID and NGOs. 

I myself and certainly Piero, we have been to the typhoon that 

took place in the Philippines and the military was there working 

side by side and if they were not there many more lives would have 

been lost. 

And there was the USS Abraham Lincoln and a few years before 

that when the tsunami hit Banda Aceh and other areas they were 

there saving lives and none of that ever gets calculated in terms 

of costs. 

So I do believe the American people are very generous, as are 

other countries, and we do, as you pointed out, we need to demand 

accountability. We do do oversight. We need to do more of it and 

I thank you for ensuring that your money that you are allotted 

from multiple sources is well spent on behalf of people. 

I would like to yield to my friend. Thank you. Do you have any 

other comments you would like to make? Because your statement 

was excellent. 

Mr. MARKANDAY. Thank you very much, Chairman Smith, and I 

am so happy that you have underscored a lot of the things that I 

did include into my briefing in terms of the Decade of Action on 

Nutrition and how we should leverage more out of our international organizations. I think that is terribly important for results. 

I think the only point that I would like to make that the FAO 

was, as I said, under U.S. leadership established in 1945. The 

world has changed, and we, as an organization, recognize that we 

have to be fit for purpose for the future and the challenges that are 

coming. 

So I think with your leadership we are looking to being that type 

of an organization. 

17

Mr. SMITH. Thank you. And Mr. Markanday, also—and you’ll 

never have this problem but compassion fatigue is a problem we 

have to be careful about. 

I will never forget after the first drought—man-made drought by 

Mengistu in Ethiopia everybody was on board. We are the world. 

When it hit the second time it was like been there, done that, got 

the T-shirt. People were not interested. It was horrible because 

people were dying. 

So, again, you’re part of the leadership that ensures that these 

individuals are never forgotten. The emphasis on not just saving 

lives, but enhancing your ability to get a better education and to 

go on to raising more dollars by way of their capabilities for their 

families, it’s a win-win-win all over the place. So thank you again 

for your leadership. 

Thank you. We would like to now resume our congressional hearing and again thank Mr. Markanday for his appearance here today 

and his insights. 

We would like to welcome to the witness table Dr. Beth Dunford, 

who is the Assistant to the Administrator in USAID’s Bureau for 

Food Security as well as Deputy Coordinator for Development for 

Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative. 

In this dual role, Dr. Dunford coordinates implementation of 

Feed the Future across the U.S. Government, a whole of government approach, oversees its execution, reports on results, and leads 

engagement with the external community to ensure that food security remains high on the development agenda. 

Dr. Dunford also oversees USAID’s technical and regional expertise focused on improving food security to sustainable reduce hunger, poverty, and undernutrition. 

A career Foreign Service Officer, she most recently served as Director of USAID’s Mission in Nepal and has also served in Ethiopia, Afghanistan, and a number of roles in Washington. Please 

proceed as you would like. 

STATEMENT OF BETH DUNFORD, PH.D., ASSISTANT TO THE 

ADMINISTRATOR, BUREAU FOR FOOD SECURITY, U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

Ms. DUNFORD. Thank you. Good afternoon, Chairman Smith, 

Ranking Member Bass, members of the subcommittee. Thank you 

for inviting me to speak today and thanks to all of you for your 

continued support and leadership on nutrition and food security. 

I also want to thank Mr. Markanday for that presentation. We 

are grateful for the FAO’s close collaboration with Feed the Future 

and it is wonderful to hear Mr. Markanday reaffirm just how seriously the FAO takes nutrition. 

In particular, I would like to express my gratitude to you, Chairman Smith, for introducing the Global Food Security Act, which 

shows the U.S. Government’s strong bipartisan commitment to reducing global hunger, poverty, and malnutrition. 

The Global Food Security Act has passed both the House and the 

Senate and we are looking forward to working with the subcommittee members and Congress to pass it into law. 

18

And as Feed the Future’s Deputy Coordinator for Development, 

I am honored to be able to talk to you today about the important 

role the U.S. Government is playing in the fight against global 

hunger, poverty, and malnutrition, particularly during the critical 

1,000-day window between pregnancy and a child’s second birthday 

when good nutrition matters the most. 

Nutrition bridges many areas. It affects human health, development, economic growth, agriculture, education and resilience, and 

because of this Feed the Future has taken a comprehensive approach to undernutrition. 

And this approach has contributed to substantial progress on 

food security and nutrition globally. Farm productivity is on the 

rise among much of the global south. Poverty rates and hunger 

have fallen dramatically in many of the countries where we work. 

Growth rates in agriculture are among the highest in recent history, and preliminary data demonstrate that we are on track to see 

poverty and stunting reduced by an average of 20 percent across 

the areas where Feed the Future works by 2017. 

Just one example of this is Cambodia, where from 2010 to 2015 

the prevalence of stunting fell by 23.3 percent across the areas 

where Feed the Future focuses its efforts. 

And while we have seen impressive gains over the past 5 years, 

particularly on stunting and nutrition, there is still much more to 

be done. 

We know that 795 million people are still undernourished globally, and that is 795 million too many. 

Undernutrition, particularly early in life, impairs cognitive, socioemotional, and also motor development. It leads to lower levels of 

educational attainment, productivity and lifetime earnings, and ultimately it slows economic growth. 

For example, we know that by reducing stunting by just 20 percent can lead to an 11 percent increase in incomes. We also know 

that relatively simple interventions such as increased consumption 

of vitamin-rich orange-fleshed sweet potatoes can have a transformative impact on people’s lives, especially children’s. 

Our interventions in nutrition are a smart investment in building human capital and shared prosperity. Every dollar spent on improved nutrition yields up to $18 in returns. 

But to accelerate progress on poverty and hunger, and to ensure 

robust inclusive economic growth for years to come, we must do 

more to end malnutrition. 

Significant reductions in stunting take time. But given the solid 

collective results over the past decade, and the global community’s 

commitment to solving these issues, I am optimistic that we can 

work together across sectors, across disciplines, and we will see the 

elimination of malnutrition. 

And while it’s clear that Feed the Future can and has done a lot, 

we know that we will never be able to eradicate global hunger, poverty, and undernutrition on our own. 

To succeed, we have to have additional partners committed to 

transforming agro-food systems so we can deliver benefits like good 

nutrition for years to come. 

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culture, food security, and nutrition, one that goes beyond donor assistance to better leverage resources from all sectors. 

So going forward, Feed the Future will intensify our partnerships—and we have been intensifying our partnerships—with: developing country governments to expand ownership and create environments that allow our investments to take root, multiply, and 

thrive; the private sector to bring market access, cutting-edge business practices, and innovative insights to the development table; 

and financial institutions to spur greater investment in small and 

medium enterprises and small-holder farms, ensuring inclusive 

sustainable economic growth on a macro level. 

And civil society is also important. They help to amplify our message, increase transparency, and make sure that vulnerable groups 

are protected and our investments reach our targeted population. 

By bringing partners together, to focus efforts on agriculture and 

nutrition, Feed the Future and the U.S. Government have achieved 

a great deal. Our approach is working and we can and will leverage 

it to do much more. 

And that is why Feed the Future will continue to forge new partnerships and strategically steward our resources to multiply our 

impact and build a more food- and nutrition-secure future. 

One of the most important partners we have in this is the United 

States Congress, and I want to thank you again for your leadership 

on this issue. 

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak with you today and I 

welcome any questions, comments, and suggestions you might 

have. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Dunford follows:]

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Mr. SMITH. Thank you very much for your excellent testimony. 

Without objection, your full, very extensive commentary will be 

made a part of the record. 

And just a few opening questions and I yield and to my good 

friend, Mr. Clawson, and then maybe have some follow-up questions at the end. 

You have pointed to some excellent results in Cambodia, Honduras, Bangladesh, for example. I know when we spoke privately 

you talked about what was going on in Nepal. 

Ms. DUNFORD. Right. 

Mr. SMITH. Which you might want to elaborate even further on, 

particularly that way of—I know it’s not a food security issue but 

that great birthing technique that you were meaning to elaborate 

on when we last met, particularly with regards to the umbilical 

cord, which saves lives. 

But Nigeria is one of the worst of the worst when it comes to the 

loss of childs’ lives both neonates—newborns and unborn children—and I am wondering if the new government has been responsive to initiatives. 

Of course, they are challenged with Boko Haram. We all know 

that. I know that children in the three northern states particularly 

are probably even more malaffected than anyone else. But if you 

could speak to some of the other African nations but particularly 

Nigeria. 

Ms. DUNFORD. Great. So I wanted to highlight, as you mentioned, chlorohexidine which is an important intervention where it 

was based on years of research that USAID funded in Nepal and 

in partnership with a local private sector company that we also 

help to support. 

The government really took on this initiative. It’s a gel that you 

put on the umbilical cord after birth to keep the umbilical cord sanitary to prevent against tetanus. 

And as we know, as child mortality rates are decreasing, neonatal mortality rates are often the most difficult to really start seeing great movement on. And this really can reduce the infant mortality rate by 23 percent just by use of this one gel. It costs pennies 

to distribute and in Nepal we are working to have it disseminated 

across the country. 

A network of 48,000 community health volunteers have taken up 

this effort under government leadership and are working to get it 

out to the farthest reaches of way up in the mountains, way out 

into the plains. 

It is very easy to apply. It is something that these community 

health volunteers, when they work with pregnant women to inform 

them of best practices going forward to have a healthy pregnancy, 

it’s something they can give to the women. 

There is one person who is always present at a delivery, and it’s 

the mother. So the mother carries the packet around with her and 

it’s just one application that anyone can do. So that is a very, very 

important intervention, and I do know the Government of Nigeria 

has gone to Nepal to receive training and to better understand how 

chlorohexidine works and how they might integrate it into the 

health system. 

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How far it has actually gone I am not sure. But it is one of several governments that have learned from Nepal in this effort. 

And we are looking at working with the African Union, which 

has shown tremendous leadership on the issue of food security and 

nutrition and we are really working to highlight what we are calling champions of change, to work with partner country governments that are demonstrating the type of leadership by putting 

their own funds into agriculture and food security, by putting in 

place the right policies that can really allow space for private sector 

investment to further fuel the agricultural transformation and to 

fuel investments in nutrition. And by elevating those leaders that 

are doing a good job, they are really incentivizing others to follow 

suit and we are hopeful that Nigeria will go along that path as 

well. 

Mr. SMITH. You mentioned the importance of faith-based organization and private sector. Are you finding a lot of buy-in from the 

faith-based community when it comes to these initiatives? Are they 

included in a robust way by the governments? I know our own 

seeks and reaches out. But are the other governments doing it as 

well, particularly in the 19 countries where we are—we’re involved. 

And secondly, if I could just ask you with regards to the post2015 SDGs and, of course, the Decade of Action on Nutrition. I am 

always concerned when there are so many aspirational goals, targets, indicators and the three-pronged approach with the post-2015 

that there is so much people then don’t prioritize and do as much 

as they could, particularly on such a life-changing, life-enhancing 

initiative like Feed the Future. 

To ensure that we don’t get lost in other good things but they 

get crowded out by trying to do it all. Your thoughts on how we 

can keep this prioritized going forward between now and 2025 with 

the decade and also 2030 with the post-2015. 

Ms. DUNFORD. Thank you. Thank you, Chairman, for those important questions. 

I wanted to touch, first, upon faith-based organizations, which 

are incredibly important to Feed the Future and its implementation. 

As we work with civil society, faith-based organizations are a 

critical part of that throughout all of the 19 focus countries where 

we work on many, many different levels. 

Just to provide one example, in Zambia, Catholic Relief Services 

is out there working specifically to deliver nutrition messages to 

first 1,000 day mothers and also to first 1,000 day mothers in their 

communities, helping them to understand what types of nutrition 

they need to ensure that they take advantage of this really critical 

window and also making sure they have access to those nutritious 

foods as well. 

I wanted to talk also about the SDGs, and I think you’re right. 

The SDGs are—it is a very important global moment where world 

leaders came together to agree on how important development is 

and codify that. 

As we know, SDG 2 is most focused on hunger. We think it’s a 

really important way to elevate the work that we all think is so important. 

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There are a lot of competing priorities out there. I like to say 

that hunger and food security weaves itself through all of the SDGs 

and is central to everything that we can and will do. 

I think in order to help us raise the profile of this effort are the 

results that we are starting to see come in. With the right types 

of investment we can see change and I think that is as motivating 

a factor as anything to keep this at the top of the policy agenda. 

Mr. SMITH. Thank you. 

Ms. Bass. 

Ms. BASS. Thank you very much for your presentation. 

You know, in many ways we are talking about a difficult subject 

but in many ways you are filled with a lot of good news too in 

terms of practices that are really making a difference. 

And I wanted you to expand on that. So a few things in terms 

of Feed the Future, I have traveled to a couple of countries and 

have seen Feed the Future in action, specifically though as it relates to farming. 

In your written testimony, you have a couple of examples that 

I wanted you to elaborate on. One was Chicken Choice in Kenya. 

And so I wanted to know if you could give a couple of examples of 

a Feed the Futures best practices that weren’t very specifically agricultural. 

Ms. DUNFORD. Thank you, Ranking Member Bass, for that question and also for your support of the Global Security Act. 

Chicken Choice is one of my favorite examples which I think is 

why it made it into the testimony. It’s really a nice example of 

someone who worked in a chicken factory who saw that chicken 

parts were being sort of discarded and these poor women who had 

no other choice, no other avenues, were coming to dig through the 

trash to find these parts in order to have something to feed their 

children that was nutritious. And so he started a product made 

from these by-products and started expanding to different locations 

throughout Kenya. He ended up with nine locations but had difficulty reliably transporting this very nutritious but low-cost product to these nine locations. We helped him buy a refrigerated truck, 

as simple as that. Given that transport can be dicey, this really 

helped him expand his business and get this low-cost nutritious 

food out to many more people. 

So I am glad you like that example. That’s the type of ingenuity 

and innovation that we need to see from the private sector that we 

are trying to support. 

Other examples, just to put out there, I was just in Rwanda last 

month and I went with a group of women to their field of beans, 

and they have been growing iron-fortified beans. 

This bean has doubled the amount yielded by a traditional bean. 

It cooks in half the time, which is very significant for people who 

are time-bound and needing to get fuel to cook all their food with, 

and has a very important source of iron. 

And so I think these seeds we are starting to disseminate 

throughout Rwanda will be very much game changing when one of 

these staple foods becomes something that is iron-fortified from the 

very beginning. 

So there are a couple of examples. I am happy to provide more 

as well. 

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Ms. BASS. Great, and I appreciate that. 

I wanted to know some other input around Africa. You talked 

about how the African Union was really taking a leadership role 

and maybe you could be specific about what you mean. 

And then in that regard, also I wanted to know if you feel that 

there are examples of roles being played by the African regional 

economic communities regarding a more regional approach, especially with some of the smaller countries. 

Ms. DUNFORD. Yes. So the Malabo Commitments that came out 

of the 2014 African Union summit are very, very good if you read 

them and I think the African Union is looking to see how can we 

use CAADP to fuel the implementation or the attainment of these 

goals, which include things like reducing stunting and poverty, and 

tripling trade and the rest. 

And they’re launching this campaign called Seize the Moment, 

talking of champions of change—like I said, really elevating country leaders who are doing the right thing on agriculture and malnutrition. And so we’re looking forward to seeing how that campaign goes on to really elevate this issue, as Chairman Smith said. 

On the regional issue, I think the regional economic communities 

play a very, very important role. I’ll take the example of Senegal 

and then I’ve also got an example of Togo I can give. 

ECOWAS, the regional economic body in west Africa, passed 

standard certifications of seed, but these were not adopted by Senegal for many, many years. 

So what you found were that private sector actors involved in 

seed production and multiplication were not able to operate freely 

in Senegal, and that the government was left with an inadequate 

system—really, trying to get seeds out to farmers and didn’t have 

access to the latest seeds. 

So the Government of Senegal, as part of its New Alliance commitments, in 2013 passed a law that put Senegal in line with these 

regulations that had been passed and encouraged by the regional 

economic community, and therefore, allowed for private sector engagement in the seed sector. 

We helped to amplify this effort once the policy was right to get 

private sector actors out there producing and multiplying seeds 

that were able to reach many, many more farmers. 

As a result, NERICA rice now is readily available on the market. 

It’s a rice that’s drought resistant, drought tolerant, and also increases yield by up to 3 times. 

And so as part of our interventions working with private sector 

and this important policy change, now 180,000 farmers have access 

to this new technology that’s really game changing. 

Also, the regional economic community put in place some regulations on how many border check points you could have—a maximum of 30 border check points—which is critically important. 

And we supported some businessmen in Togo who really went to 

the ministers and said, wait a minute, you aren’t abiding by this 

regional economic rule and had an advocacy campaign to get people 

out to see all of the check points. And upon understanding what 

it took to get food from the north of Togo down to southern Togo—

which was taking up to 4 days, they were aghast and put in place 

these changes and now it only takes 1 day to go from the north. 

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Ms. BASS. Wow. That’s great. That’s wonderful, because a problem throughout the continent——

Ms. DUNFORD. Absolutely. 

Ms. BASS [continuing]. Is how to support intra-African trade. 

So one question that always comes up in my district whenever 

I talk about Feed the Future, and I brag about Feed the Future 

all the time, but I’m always questioned as to whether or not GMOs 

are a real big factor. 

Like when you were describing the beans and then also the rice, 

and so I wanted to know if you could comment on that. 

Ms. DUNFORD. So I think that genetically-engineered technology 

is one of many, many tools that we use along with conventional 

breeding, along with other techniques, to help farmers increase 

their productivity, that have to do with things like drip irrigation 

and the rest. 

We definitely follow countries’ own laws, regulations, and wishes 

around genetically modified crops. 

Ms. BASS. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. 

Mr. CLAWSON. Thank you for coming. Thank you for your important work. 

Ms. DUNFORD. Thank you. 

Mr. CLAWSON. My firsthand experience tells me that for subsistence farmers to make meaningful progress, A, they have to have 

diversification, which you have spoken to, and B, they have to have 

credit. 

And we have been talking about microcredit since I was in college and I have got a lot of gray hair right now. And so I hear and 

read and see with my own eyes lots of really good programs, small 

programs in Southeast Asia, Africa, or wherever. 

But given the level of corruption for a lot or most of these governments, depending on how charitable we want to be, I don’t know 

of any examples of countries that are struggling with hunger that 

also have widespread microcredit available for a market of struggling subsistence farmers. And without that, all of this is just anecdotal talk to me. I’m glad you’re doing what you’re doing. 

But if there’s no microcredit in Africa or Southeast Asia at a 

broad level because there is so much corruption and there is not 

a developed private market for it, we are just blowing in the wind 

as far as I can tell. 

Am I wrong about what I’m saying or—I’d like you to tell me I’m 

wrong and there is a country that is struggling to make the jump 

and that has a large noncorrupt microcredit market for people that 

need it. Does that exist in the world? 

Ms. DUNFORD. So Mr. Clawson, thank you so much for your 

question and also before I go on I also want to thank you for your 

support of the Global Food Security Act. 

I think you hit on one of the key issues. As I said, all of this 

takes money, and money at different levels, to invest in public sector infrastructure and research but really to invest so that the 

small and medium enterprises can really move the agricultural system to have the kind of outcomes that we’re looking for. So I think 

you are right. Credit is one of the critical components to enable us 

to reach our goals. 

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I just wanted to provide another example from Senegal, where 

one of the problems with getting agricultural credit out there is 

that often you need a little bit bigger loans. The payback time 

needs to be a little longer sometimes because you have to wait for 

crop cycles and, frankly, it’s a very risky investment for commercial 

lenders and so how do we get money out to these people? 

And I think that there have been some very creative ways over 

the years. One thing that we found in Senegal was to really look 

at how can we work with banks to have more creative means of collateral. 

One thing that we did with working with farmers in Senegal is 

that we basically took out iPads and found one or two people in the 

communities who actually were computer literate who could start 

recording production data from all of these farmers and after they 

built out a couple years of production data to be able to take that 

information to banks to say look, here’s a record, it is not so risky 

to lend money to this farmer so he can purchase the inputs he 

needs to have a good harvest because here’s his production record 

and that will give some guarantee. 

We also found in Uganda, where five youth who met at a Feed 

the Future innovation conference came together and started a mobile app company that provides information to farmers on best 

practices, but what it also does is these agents are then able to go 

out to farmers, collect information and create a credit profile for 

these farmers, who are often illiterate, to take to banks to get them 

to be able to loan money to farmers. 

So I think finding creative ways to get these funds out to farmers 

is critical. 

Mr. CLAWSON. And what country actually has a functioning 

microcredit market for these kind of folks? Does that exist? 

I love what you’re telling me. But does that exist? 

Ms. DUNFORD. So I think you’re right, there’s——

Mr. CLAWSON. I’m not saying that it doesn’t exist. I’m asking 

you. You know, is there anywhere in Southeast Asia or Africa of 

a developing country that has a microcredit market that actually 

gives poor people an opportunity to expand their crops, without 

paying 20 percent a month? 

Ms. DUNFORD. I think that if you saw a system that worked very, 

very well you would see great reductions in poverty and hunger. 

In the countries where we work, there are instances of credit 

being available but we have not yet succeeded in making this 

something that’s universal across the country. 

So I think you’ve hit on one of the key obstacles that we’re tackling, moving forward. 

Mr. SMITH. In your testimony, Dr. Dunford, you talk about the 

11 different Federal agencies for the whole of government initiative. Of course, that language is reflected in our bill—both the Senate and the House bill. 

And the list includes, of course, the Office of the United States 

Trade Representative and I am wondering—you know, there are—

there are agencies that are all in and doing more—just because of 

what their past has been, especially your leadership, how helpful 

has that Office of the United States Trade Representative been? 

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I’ve been in arguments with them over TPP and other issues. I 

think you have, too. But it seems to me that this is a golden opportunity. Just like the World Bank has done such extraordinary humanitarian work in a number of areas and most people, when they 

think of the World Bank, don’t automatically think of that. 

So if you could maybe——

Ms. DUNFORD. Thank you very much for this question. I think 

that working with USTR, they have been an incredibly important 

partner for us. Really expanding trade is one of the most important 

things—trade, not aid, is really going to lead to the future that we 

seek of a food-secure world. 

And so we’ve been partnering with USTR to build a capacity for 

Africans to increase their trade. We’ve also been working in other 

areas as well. So I think they are an incredibly important partner, 

mostly in the capacity building of key trade systems, and will continue to be moving forward. 

Mr. SMITH. Can I ask you how well-coordinated is the effort to 

ensure that folic acid is included? As I think I know and I might 

have commented this to you when we met, I wrote three laws on 

combating autism including the Combating Autism Act. 

The Autism CARES Act just became law, and the most recent 

compilation of NIH research suggests three studies that say the—

children on the spectrum can be reduced by 39 percent with 400 

micrograms of folic acid per day as long as it’s 3 months before actual conception and no later than 1 or 2 months after conception. 

After that, it’s helpful but not determinative and it also reduces 

spina bifida and other neurological problems. 

I’m wondering how well can you coordinate that to ensure that 

that’s part of the package. In the year 2007, I was with my staff 

director for this subcommittee, in Lagos and I gave a speech on 

human trafficking. 

And a man came up and said well, what are you doing about autism in Nigeria. I said, nothing. We had dinner that night and it 

was a learning experience for me to find out how much unmet need 

there is in Nigeria and the rest of Africa. 

The WHO has said there are tens of millions of autistic children 

in Africa, largely underreported and not getting anything like early 

intervention. But folic acid could be not a panacea but part of the 

solution and I’m wondering how well that’s integrated. 

Ms. DUNFORD. So I think our efforts are really focusing on helping people to grow and access the right types of food in order to 

have a balanced diet that would include all of the types of micronutrients that you’re talking about, including folic acid. 

And I know our colleagues in the Bureau for Global Health work 

also in micronutrients and I will check with them and get back to 

you in a written answer on how we include folic acid specifically. 

Mr. SMITH. That would be great, if you would. 

[The information referred to follows:]

WRITTEN RESPONSE RECEIVED FROM BETH DUNFORD, PH.D., TO QUESTION ASKED

DURING THE HEARING BY THE HONORABLE CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

Folic acid deficiency is one of several micronutrient deficiencies that USAID nutrition programs address. Global Health programs support folic acid supplementation 

as part of maternal health interventions, plus any multi-micronutrient supplementation provided to children. Feed the Future works jointly with Global Health on 

35

improving food fortification capacity in East and West Africa, plus other countries, 

such as Afghanistan, where folic acid may be included as a fortificant. Folic acid 

may be supported as a fortificant, along with iron, vitamin A or iodine, depending 

on the food vehicle fortified and the specific country needs that address their population’s nutritional deficiencies.

Mr. SMITH. And for the record, how much are we spending on 

Feed the Future in fiscal year 2016? 

Ms. DUNFORD. $895 million. 

Mr. SMITH. Okay. Are there any other questions? Unfortunately, 

we are being called over for a vote. 

Ms. DUNFORD. Yes, of course. Of course. 

Mr. SMITH. And I apologize for that. 

Ms. DUNFORD. That’s okay. 

Mr. SMITH. We are planning a meeting and I would hope you and 

Mr. Markanday, if you would consider this as well—we are going 

to invite the Ambassadors from Africa and other countries, particularly developing countries, to a forum on Feed the Future. 

We are hoping that Roger Thurow—we have asked him already 

and he seemed very interested to come and speak about the all-important first 1,000 days. 

But, of course, what follows is important as well. 

Ms. DUNFORD. Right. 

Mr. SMITH. But it would be a great opportunity for all of us to 

encourage the Ambassadors to be in contact with the home front 

and home office and health minister to say okay, we’ve all signed 

up, scaling up, but what are we really doing—are we really making 

this a priority? 

Because the intentions are great in many capitals but competing 

challenges sometimes crowd out this highly efficacious effort to 

help women and children. 

So if you would at least consider being part of that panel it 

would be very, very helpful. 

Ms. DUNFORD. Absolutely. I would be honored. 

Mr. SMITH. As soon as we get a date we will get to you. We are 

trying to find out when the African Ambassadors especially would 

be most available. But we’re also—we want the other Ambassadors 

to be there as well. 

I was actually in Guatemala the day they signed up with us to 

work on the first 1,000 days, and I met with the Speaker that day 

and was—you know, he was all in and very excited about what it 

would do for stunting in Guatemala. 

So is there anything else you would like to add? And I have more 

questions but we are almost out of time because of the vote. 

Ms. DUNFORD. Well, I just want to thank you so much. It’s been 

an honor to be able to testify before you and your committee today. 

I really appreciate your interest and support in this effort. 

I wanted to just give one more example of really talking about 

the importance of women in Feed the Future and the 

groundbreaking work of the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture 

Index that has really helped us to—for the first time—measure 

women’s empowerment and understand where and why empowerment goes up and down. 

This is an area where Bangladesh, when we did the first round 

of WEAI Surveys scored the lowest of all our focus countries on this 

index. And it led our mission and also the country of Bangladesh 

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to take this seriously and say, ‘‘What can we do to increase women’s empowerment?’’ The WEAI found that public speaking was one 

of the key issues and Bangladesh really worked to ensure that 

women had opportunities to be trainers in agricultural extension 

and also looked at how they had problems with control over their 

production and really understanding that actually fishing was one 

of the biggest smallholder activities and the big nets being used 

were so big that men had to actually harvest the fish, which led 

women to be dependent on men to harvest the fish for their own 

consumption and also for sale. 

And so we’ve worked to develop a smaller net that more women 

can use so they can then control the efforts of their production. 

So you’ve seen a big improvement of women’s empowerment in 

Bangladesh and just showing how measurement combined with 

government leadership and our efforts can quickly move the dial on 

an issue that has been so pervasive for decades. 

Mr. SMITH. My colleague, Mr. Clawson, raised some, I think, interesting points about microcredit lending. I have actually authored 

two laws on microcredit lending and the biggest takeaway I had 

about all of that was how well women were able to take modest 

amounts of money and almost like the loaves and fishes multiply 

the effect. 

Fed not only their families but hired people, paid back the loan 

so that the revolving funds were back into the kitty to help other 

people. 

But I’m wondering, maybe as a question, do you find that there 

is a good interface between Feed the Future initiatives, private sector, NGOs, FAO, of course, and yourselves and the micro lending 

initiatives as well? 

Ms. DUNFORD. Absolutely. That is one of things we are really trying to do. I think Mr. Clawson hit on a key issue that is a hard 

nut to crack and we are really working toward getting there. 

So yes, that is well coordinated. If I could say one more point, 

I started out my career in international development at USAID as 

a young officer in Ethiopia back in 2002, 2003 where there was a 

famine—14 million people on the verge of starvation. It was my 

first experience with anything like this—very, very formative. 

That year, I was working on providing food assistance to those 

people. The USAID Mission in Ethiopia that year spent $5 million 

on agricultural development and nutrition, the type of work we are 

talking about today, and spent $500 million on handing out food to 

people. 

And while that’s a very, very important effort, I just really applaud your support for us to actually reverse that, to spend more 

money actually on building the long-term capacity that’s going to 

help people pull themselves out of poverty and pull themselves out 

of hunger. 

I really appreciate your efforts. 

Mr. SMITH. Okay. But again, we appreciate your efforts because 

you guys are walking point and doing a tremendous job. Thank you 

for your personal leadership, expertise, and determination. 

The hearing is adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 3:04 p.m., the committee was adjourned.] 

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