Global Food Security Act of 2016

To authorize a comprehensive, strategic approach for United States foreign assistance to developing countries to reduce global poverty and hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, promote inclusive, sustainable agricultural-led economic growth, improve nutritional outcomes, especially for women and children, build resilience among vulnerable populations, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Global Food Security Act of 2015 2. Statement of policy objectives; sense of Congress (a) Statement of policy objectives It is in the national security interest of the United States to promote global food security, resilience, and nutrition, consistent with national food security investment plans, which is reinforced through programs, activities, and initiatives that— (1) accelerate inclusive, agricultural-led economic growth that reduces global poverty, hunger, and malnutrition, particularly among women and children; (2) increase the productivity, incomes, and livelihoods of small-scale producers, especially women, by working across agricultural value chains, enhancing local capacity to manage agricultural resources effectively, and expanding producer access to local and international markets; (3) build resilience to food shocks among vulnerable populations and households while reducing reliance upon emergency food assistance; (4) create an enabling environment for agricultural growth and investment, including through the promotion of secure and transparent property rights; (5) improve the nutritional status of women and children, with a focus on reducing child stunting, including through the promotion of highly nutritious foods, diet diversification, and nutritional behaviors that improve maternal and child health; (6) align with and leverage broader United States strategies and investments in trade, economic growth, science and technology, maternal and child health, nutrition, and water, sanitation, and hygiene; (7) continue to strengthen partnerships between United States-based universities and institutions in target countries and communities that build agricultural capacity; and (8) ensure the effective use of United States taxpayer dollars to further these objectives. (b) Sense of congress It is the sense of the Congress that the President, in providing assistance to implement the Global Food Security Strategy, should— (1) coordinate, through a whole-of-government approach, the efforts of relevant Federal departments and agencies to implement the Global Food Security Strategy; and (2) utilize open and streamlined solicitations to allow for the participation of a wide range of implementing partners through the most appropriate procurement mechanisms, which may include grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and other instruments as necessary and appropriate. 3. Definitions In this Act: (1) Agriculture The term agriculture (2) Appropriate congressional committees The term appropriate congressional committees (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; (B) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate; (C) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; (D) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; (E) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives; and (F) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives. (3) Feed the future innovation labs The term Feed the Future Innovation Labs (4) Food and nutrition security The term food and nutrition security (5) Global food security strategy The term Global Food Security Strategy (6) Malnutrition The term malnutrition (7) Relevant federal departments and agencies The term relevant Federal departments and agencies (8) Resilience The term resilience (9) Small-scale producer The term small-scale producer (10) Sustainable The term sustainable (11) Target country The term target country 4. Comprehensive Global Food Security Strategy (a) Strategy The President shall coordinate the development and implementation of a United States whole-of-government strategy to accomplish the policy objectives set forth in section 2(a), which shall— (1) set specific and measurable goals, benchmarks, timetables, performance metrics, and monitoring and evaluation plans that reflect international best practices relating to transparency, accountability, food and nutrition security, and agriculture-led economic growth, consistent with the policy objectives described in section 2(a); (2) establish clear and transparent selection criteria for target countries, communities, regions, and intended beneficiaries of assistance; (3) support and be aligned with country-owned agriculture, nutrition, and food security policy and investment plans developed with input from relevant governmental and nongovernmental sectors within target countries and communities, regional bodies, and representatives of the private sector, agricultural producers, including women and small-scale producers, international and local civil society organizations, faith-based organizations, agricultural research and academic institutions, and farmers, as appropriate; (4) support inclusive agricultural value chain development, with small-scale producers, especially women, gaining greater access to the inputs, skills, resource management capacity, networking, bargaining power, financing, and market linkages needed to sustain their long-term economic prosperity; (5) support improvement of the nutritional status of women and children, particularly during the critical first 1,000-day window until a child reaches 2 years of age and with a focus on reducing child stunting, through nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programs, including related water, sanitation, and hygiene programs; (6) facilitate communication and collaboration, as appropriate, among local stakeholders in support of a multi-sectoral approach to food and nutrition security, to include analysis of the multiple underlying causes of malnutrition, including lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene; (7) support the long-term success of programs by building the capacity of local organizations and institutions in target countries and communities; (8) integrate resilience and nutrition strategies into food security programs, such that chronically vulnerable populations are better able to build safety nets, secure livelihoods, access markets, and access opportunities for longer-term economic growth; (9) develop community and producer resilience to natural disasters, emergencies, and natural occurrences that adversely impact agricultural yield; (10) harness science, technology, and innovation, including the research conducted at Feed the Future Innovation Labs, or any successor entities, throughout the United States; (11) integrate agricultural development activities among food insecure populations living in proximity to designated national parks or wildlife areas into wildlife conservation efforts, as necessary and appropriate; (12) leverage resources and expertise through partnerships with the private sector, farm organizations, cooperatives, civil society, faith-based organizations, and agricultural research and academic institutions; (13) support collaboration, as appropriate, between United States universities and public and private institutions in target countries and communities to promote agricultural development and innovation; (14) seek to ensure that target countries and communities respect and promote land tenure rights of local communities, particularly those of women and small-scale producers; and (15) include criteria and methodologies for graduating target countries and communities from assistance provided to implement the Global Food Security Strategy as such countries and communities meet the progress benchmarks identified pursuant to section 6(b)(4). (b) Coordination The President shall coordinate, through a whole-of-government approach, the efforts of relevant Federal departments and agencies in the implementation of the Global Food Security Strategy by— (1) establishing monitoring and evaluation systems, coherence, and coordination across relevant Federal departments and agencies; and (2) establishing platforms for regular consultation and collaboration with key stakeholders, including— (A) national and local governments; (B) multilateral institutions; (C) private voluntary organizations; (D) cooperatives; (E) the private sector; (F) local nongovernmental and civil society organizations; (G) faith-based organizations; (H) congressional committees; and (I) other stakeholders, as appropriate. (c) Strategy submission (1) In general Not later than October 1, 2016, the President, in consultation with the head of each relevant Federal department and agency, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees the Global Food Security Strategy required under this section that provides a detailed description of how the United States intends to advance the objectives set forth in section 2(a) and the agency-specific plans described in paragraph (2). (2) Agency-specific plans The Global Food Security Strategy shall include specific implementation plans from each relevant Federal department and agency that describes— (A) the anticipated contributions of the department or agency, including technical, financial, and in-kind contributions, to implement the Global Food Security Strategy; and (B) the efforts of the department or agency to ensure that the activities and programs carried out pursuant to the strategy are designed to achieve maximum impact and long-term sustainability. 5. Assistance to implement the Global Food Security Strategy (a) Food shortages The President is authorized to carry out activities pursuant to 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 (b) Authorization of Appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development $1,000,600,000 for fiscal year 2016 to carry out those portions of the Global Food Security Strategy that relate to the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development, respectively. (c) Monitoring and evaluation The President shall seek to ensure that assistance to implement the Global Food Security Strategy is provided under established parameters for a rigorous accountability system to monitor and evaluate progress and impact of the strategy, including by reporting to the appropriate congressional committees and the public on an annual basis. 6. Report (a) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of the submission of the strategy required under section 4(c), the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that describes the status of the implementation of the Global Food Security Strategy. (b) Content The report required under subsection (a) shall— (1) contain a summary of the Global Food Security Strategy as an appendix; (2) identify any substantial changes made in the Global Food Security Strategy during the preceding calendar year; (3) describe the progress made in implementing the Global Food Security Strategy; (4) identify the indicators used to establish benchmarks and measure results over time, as well as the mechanisms for reporting such results in an open and transparent manner; (5) describe related strategies and benchmarks for graduating target countries and communities from assistance provided under the Global Food Security Strategy over time, including by building resilience, reducing risk, and enhancing the sustainability of outcomes from United States investments in agriculture and nutrition security; (6) contain a transparent, open, and detailed accounting of spending by relevant Federal departments and agencies to implement the Global Food Security Strategy, including by listing all implementing partners and, to the extent practicable, describing their activities; (7) describe how the Global Food Security Strategy relates to other United States food security and development assistance programs on the continuum from emergency food aid through sustainable, agriculture-led economic growth; (8) describe the contributions of the Global Food Security Strategy to, and assess the impact of, broader international food and nutrition security assistance programs, including progress in the promotion of land tenure rights, creating economic opportunities for women and small-scale producers, and stimulating agriculture-led economic growth in target countries and communities; (9) assess efforts to coordinate United States international food security and nutrition programs, activities, and initiatives with— (A) other bilateral donors; (B) international and multilateral organizations; (C) international financial institutions; (D) target country governments; (E) international and local private voluntary, nongovernmental, faith-based organizations, and civil society organizations; and (F) other stakeholders; (10) assess United States Government-facilitated private investment in related sectors and the impact of private sector investment in target countries and communities; (11) identify any United States legal or regulatory impediments that could obstruct the effective implementation of the programming referred to in paragraphs (7) and (8); (12) contain a clear gender analysis of programming, to inform project-level activities, that includes established disaggregated gender indicators to better analyze outcomes for food productivity, income growth, control of assets, equity in access to inputs, jobs and markets, and nutrition; and (13) incorporate a plan for regularly reviewing and updating strategies, partnerships, and programs and sharing lessons learned with a wide range of stakeholders in an open, transparent manner. (c) Public availability of information The information referred to in subsection (b) shall be made available on the public website of the United States Agency for International Development in an open, machine readable format, in a timely manner. April 12, 2016 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed

Summary: Global Food Security Act of 2016 This bill requires the President to develop and implement a Global Food Security Strategy to promote global food security, resilience, and nutrition. (Sec. 2) This section specifies that it is in the U.S. national security interest to promote global food security, resilience, and nutrition, consistent with national food security investment plans through programs and activities that: accelerate inclusive, agricultural-led economic growth that reduces global poverty, hunger, and malnutrition; increase the productivity, incomes, and livelihoods of small-scale producers; build resilience to food shocks among vulnerable populations and households while reducing reliance upon emergency food assistance; create an environment for agricultural growth and investment; improve the nutritional status of women and children; align with and leverage U.S strategies and investments in trade, economic growth, science and technology, agricultural research and extension, maternal and child health, nutrition, and water, sanitation, and hygiene; strengthen partnerships between U.S. and foreign universities that build agricultural capacity; and ensure the effective use of taxpayer dollars in achieving these objectives. (Sec. 3) This section sets forth definitions that apply to this bill. (Sec. 4) The President must coordinate a whole-of-government strategy to promote global food security, resilience, and nutrition, consistent with national food security investment plans. This section specifies required goals and criteria for the strategy. The President must coordinate the efforts of federal departments and agencies to implement the strategy by establishing: (1) monitoring and evaluation systems, coherence, and coordination across federal departments and agencies; and (2) platforms for regular consultation and collaboration with key stakeholders and congressional committees. The President must submit the strategy, including agency-specific plans, to Congress by October 1, 2016. (Sec. 5) To carry out the strategy, the President may provide assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prevent or address food shortages. (Sec. 6) The President must report annually to Congress on the implementation of the Global Food Security Strategy. (Sec. 7) This section specifies that nothing in the Global Food Security Strategy or this bill should be construed to supersede or otherwise affect the authority of federal departments and agencies to carry out specified food and nutrition security or emergency and nonemergency food assistance programs.