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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5656 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5656

 To authorize the Feed the Future Initiative to reduce global poverty 
  and hunger in developing countries on a sustainable basis, and for 
                            other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 18, 2014

 Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself and Ms. McCollum) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
 To authorize the Feed the Future Initiative to reduce global poverty 
  and hunger in developing countries on a sustainable basis, 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 ``Feed the Future Global Food Security 
Act of 2014''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) For more than 60 years, the United States has provided 
        consistent global leadership in addressing food security and 
        investing in agricultural development, research, innovation and 
        humanitarian assistance, particularly in Africa, Latin America 
        and South Asia.
            (2) Nevertheless, according to the January 2014 Worldwide 
        Threat Assessment of the United States Intelligence Community 
        report, ``lack of adequate food will be a destabilizing factor 
        in countries important to United States national security that 
        do not have the financial or technical abilities to solve their 
        internal food security problems,'' and ``food 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) According to the most recent estimates of the Food and 
        Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, globally more 
        than 805,000,000 people suffer from chronic hunger. In 
        addition, approximately 165,000,000 (or 1 in 4) children under 
        the age of 5 are stunted, with 80 percent of the world's 
        stunted children living in just 14 countries. Mounting evidence 
        from several peer-reviewed studies provide compelling evidence 
        that undernutrition during the critical first 1,000 day window 
        until age two leads to stunting, a lifelong condition of poor 
        health, impaired cognitive and physical development, and 
        diminished productivity.
            (4) The provision of folic acid as a supplement to women of 
        childbearing years has resulted in benefits, including a 
        reduction in incidents of autism in some populations.
            (5) The African Union Commission Cost of Hunger in Africa 
        study estimated that the economic costs associated with child 
        undernutrition are substantial--from 2 percent to 16 percent of 
        the gross national product (GNP) in several African nations. 
        For instance, this cost was estimated at $4,700,000,000 in 
        Ethiopia in 2009 alone, which is the equivalent of 16 percent 
        of Ethiopia's GNP.
            (6) The Feed the Future Initiative (FTF) is the United 
        States flagship global hunger and food security program. The 
        primary objectives of FTF are to improve food security by 
        increasing productivity and incomes as well as reducing hunger 
        and to improve nutrition among 140,000,000 of the world's 
        poorest people in 19 priority countries. Feed the Future 
        focuses on improving the lives of smallholder farmers, 
        especially women and children.
            (7) FTF leverages partnerships with a wide range of 
        stakeholders--including private voluntary organizations, 
        universities, faith-based groups, international and domestic 
        research organizations, community-based organizations and 
        cooperatives--harnesses new innovations and technologies, 
        builds local capacity and sustainability, links to the global 
        economy, and adheres to rigor, transparency and accountability.
            (8) Its whole-of-government approach to food security 
        brings together agriculture, economic growth, trade 
        facilitation, nutrition, development, and humanitarian programs 
        to achieve unprecedented results. For example, preliminary data 
        indicates child stunting rates in Ethiopia have declined at a 
        3.3 percent annual rate over the past 3 years, such that there 
        are currently 160,000 fewer stunted children in Ethiopia 
        despite population growth over this period.
            (9) In 2013, FTF reached more than 7,000,000 farmers and 
        other food producers resulting in the employment of new 
        technologies and management practices on more than 4,000,000 
        hectares of land. Also in 2013, the initiative reached more 
        than 12,500,000 children with high impact nutrition 
        interventions such as micronutrient supplementation improving 
        both health and development.
            (10) To increase responsible private agricultural 
        investment, private sector executives and African leaders 
        launched the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition (New 
        Alliance). Since 2012, the New Alliance has expanded from three 
        to ten African countries and approximately 180 African and 
        international companies have committed to investing over 
        $10,000,000,000 in African agriculture.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that United States efforts to end 
extreme global poverty should build upon the progress and successes of 
the Feed the Future Initiative in supporting agricultural development 
and addressing chronic hunger and malnutrition.

SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States--
            (1) to reduce global poverty and hunger through a 
        comprehensive food security and nutrition strategy known as the 
        Feed the Future Initiative (FTF);
            (2) to implement FTF using a whole of government approach;
            (3) to promote agricultural development to help transform 
        local economies, increase political stability, and expand 
        trade;
            (4) to focus on country-led agricultural priorities in 
        partnership with local governments, donor organizations, 
        multilateral institutions, the private sector, civil society, 
        and international and university research institutions in the 
        United States;
            (5) to increase the productivity, incomes and livelihoods 
        of small-scale producers, especially women, by working across 
        agricultural value chains and expanding farmer access to local 
        and international markets;
            (6) to promote secure and transparent land rights in order 
        to enable responsible investment in agriculture;
            (7) to target research, develop new technologies, utilize 
        extension agents, and improve post-harvest storage in order to 
        reduce food waste;
            (8) to improve the nutrition of women and children, with a 
        focus on reducing child stunting;
            (9) to expand access to diverse and quality foods and 
        enhance nutrition-related behaviors that improve maternal and 
        child health; and
            (10) to increase the resilience of vulnerable communities 
        and households by building capacity in safety nets and 
        decreasing the need for emergency assistance.

SEC. 5. ASSISTANCE TO REDUCE GLOBAL POVERTY AND HUNGER IN DEVELOPING 
              COUNTRIES ON A SUSTAINABLE AND GLOBAL BASIS.

    (a) Assistance Authorized.--
            (1) In general.--The President, acting through the heads of 
        the relevant Federal departments and agencies specified in 
        paragraph (2), shall provide assistance to reduce poverty and 
        hunger in developing countries. To the extent consistent with 
        the requirements of this Act, such assistance should be 
        provided in accordance with the terms and conditions of the 
        Federal program known as the ``Feed the Future Initiative'' (as 
        such program was in effect on the day before the date of the 
        enactment of this Act).
            (2) Relevant federal departments and agencies.--The 
        relevant Federal departments and agencies specified in this 
        paragraph are the United States Agency for International 
        Development, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of 
        Commerce, the Department of State, the Department of the 
        Treasury, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Overseas 
        Private Investment Corporation, the Peace Corps, the Office of 
        the United States Trade Representative, the United States 
        African Development Foundation, the United States Geological 
        Survey, and any other department or agency specified by the 
        President for purposes of this paragraph.
            (3) Provisions of law.--Assistance authorized under this 
        subsection that is provided pursuant to the authorities of 
        section 103, section 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.) may 
        be provided notwithstanding any other provision of law.
            (4) Reference.--Assistance authorized under this subsection 
        may be referred to as the ``Feed the Future Initiative''.
    (b) Coordination.--The President, acting through the Administrator 
of the United States Agency for International Development, shall 
coordinate the efforts of the relevant Federal departments and agencies 
under subsection (a).
    (c) Strategic Approach.--Assistance authorized under subsection (a) 
should be provided under a strategic approach that--
            (1) prioritizes the overarching dual objectives;
                    (A) increasing agricultural productivity, income, 
                and economic growth, with a strong emphasis on small-
                scale producers; and
                    (B) improving nutrition, especially of women and 
                children;
            (2) takes a whole-of-government approach of Federal 
        departments and agencies that engage in some aspect of food 
        security, nutrition security, and agricultural development;
            (3) is driven by country strategies, ownership, and 
        engagement;
            (4) harnesses science, technology, and innovation;
            (5) leverages unique partnerships in development, including 
        farmers' organizations, cooperatives, the private sector, civil 
        society and faith-based organizations, research entities, and 
        academic institutions;
            (6) has a strong focus on women's economic empowerment and 
        nutrition;
            (7) builds capacity of local organizations and 
        institutions;
            (8) integrates and strengthens resilience approaches to 
        ensure that chronically vulnerable populations are linked to 
        market systems and longer-term economic growth opportunities;
            (9) supports and seeks to align with country-owned 
        agriculture, nutrition, and food security policy and investment 
        plans developed with input from relevant governmental and non-
        governmental sectors within partner countries and regional 
        bodies, including representatives of the private sector, small-
        scale producers, and international and local civil society and 
        faith-based organizations;
            (10) gives consideration to integrating agricultural 
        development activities among food insecure populations living 
        in proximity to designated national parks or wildlife areas to 
        support wildlife conservation efforts;
            (11) engages, when appropriate, the expertise of United 
        States institutions of higher education in collaboration with 
        public and private institutions in developing countries; and
            (12) assesses criteria to determine where agricultural 
        development assistance is no longer required.
    (d) Requirements.--Assistance authorized under subsection (a) 
should meet the following requirements:
            (1) Be consistent with a country-led, multilateral, 
        accountable process, and a comprehensive approach to 
        agricultural development, nutrition, and resilience.
            (2) Maintain an emphasis on the cross-cutting issues of 
        nutrition, land tenure, research, technology innovation, and 
        supporting women farmers.
            (3) Engage strong partnerships with the private sector, 
        educational institutions, and civil society and faith-based 
        organizations.
            (4) Build the capacity of local organizations and 
        institutions.
            (5) Develop community and farmer resiliency to natural 
        disasters, emergencies, and natural occurrences that adversely 
        impact agricultural yield.
    (e) Monitoring and Evaluation.--Assistance authorized under 
subsection (a) should be provided under established parameters for a 
rigorous accountability system to monitor and evaluate progress and 
impact, including by reporting to Congress and the public on an annual 
basis.

SEC. 6. REPORT.

    (a) In General.--The President, acting through the Administrator of 
the United States Agency for International Development, should submit 
to Congress an annual report that details, by fiscal year, the programs 
and activities carried out under this Act.
    (b) Matters To Be Included.--
            (1) In general.--The report requested by subsection (a) 
        shall include a summary of significant issues and developments, 
        the outlook for the next fiscal year, an analysis of 
        performance and effectiveness against the results framework, 
        and details of results and activities with respect to the 
        programs and related subject areas described in paragraph (2).
            (2) Programs and related subject areas described.--The 
        programs and issues described in this paragraph are the 
        following:
                    (A) Country and regional programs.
                    (B) Global and multilateral programs.
                    (C) Nutrition integration.
                    (D) Women's economic empowerment.
                    (E) Stakeholder engagement, including list of 
                partner organizations and description of their 
                respective roles.
                    (F) Management and accountability.
                    (G) Participation and research by United States and 
                developing country institutions of higher education.
                    (H) Policy and program management.
                    (I) Areas related to private investment in 
                developing countries and the impact of private sector 
                investment on economic opportunities and income of 
                small-scale producers.
    (c) Additional Matters To Be Included.--The report requested by 
subsection (a) should provide accountable and transparent information 
on United States Government performance under this Act.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the President to carry 
out this Act, for each of the fiscal years 2015, 2016, and 2017, 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).
                                 <all>
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