I 114th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1567 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 24, 2015 Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself, Ms. McCollum , Mr. Royce , Mr. Engel , Mr. Fortenberry , Ms. Bass , Mr. Crenshaw , Ms. DeLauro , Mr. Reichert , Mr. Smith of Washington , Mr. Paulsen , and Mr. Cicilline ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs A BILL 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 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 developing countries 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, to the extent possible, open and streamlined solicitations to allow for the participation of a wide range of implementing partners via the most appropriate procurement mechanism. 3. Definitions In this Act: (1) Agriculture The term agriculture means crops, livestock, fisheries, and forestries. (2) Appropriate congressional committees The term appropriate congressional committees means— (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 means research partnerships led by United States universities that advance solutions to reduce global hunger, poverty, and malnutrition. (4) Food and nutrition security The term food and nutrition security means access to, and availability, utilization, and stability of, sufficient food to meet caloric and nutritional needs for an active and healthy life. (5) Global Food Security Strategy The term Global Food Security Strategy means the strategy developed and implemented pursuant to section 4(a). (6) Malnutrition The term malnutrition means poor nutritional status caused by nutritional deficiency or excess. (7) Relevant Federal departments and agencies The term relevant Federal departments and agencies means 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 section. (8) Resilience The term resilience means the ability of people, households, communities, countries, and systems to mitigate, adapt to, and recover from shocks and stresses to food security in a manner that reduces chronic vulnerability and facilitates inclusive growth. (9) Small-scale producer The term small-scale producer means farmers, pastoralists, foresters, and fishers that have a low-asset base and limited resources, including land, capital, skills and labor, and, in the case of farmers, typically farm on fewer than 5 hectares of land. (10) Sustainable The term sustainable means the ability of a target country, community, partner, or beneficiary to maintain, over time, the programs authorized and outcomes achieved pursuant to this Act. 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) 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 partner countries and regional bodies, including representatives of the private sector, agricultural producers, including women and small-scale producers, international and local civil society organizations, faith-based organizations, research institutions, and farmers as reasonable and appropriate; (2) support inclusive agricultural value chain development, with small-scale producers, especially women, gaining greater access to the inputs, skills, networking, bargaining power, financing, and market linkages needed to sustain their long-term economic prosperity; (3) 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, with a focus on reducing child stunting; (4) support the long-term success of programs by building the capacity of local organizations and institutions; (5) 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 from longer-term economic growth; (6) develop community and producer resiliency to natural disasters, emergencies, and natural occurrences that adversely impact agricultural yield; (7) harness science, technology, and innovation, including the research conducted at Feed the Future Innovation Labs, or any successor entities, throughout the United States; (8) integrate agricultural development activities among food insecure populations living in proximity to designated national parks or wildlife areas into wildlife conservation efforts; (9) leverage resources and expertise through partnerships with the private sector, farm organizations, cooperatives, civil society, faith-based organizations, research entities, and academic institutions; (10) support collaboration, as appropriate, between United States universities and public and private institutions in developing countries to promote agricultural development and innovation; (11) seek to ensure that target countries respect and promote land tenure rights of local communities, particularly those of women and small-scale producers; (12) set clear and transparent selection criteria for target countries, regions, and intended beneficiaries of assistance to implement the Global Food Security Strategy; (13) set specific and measurable goals, targets, and time frames, and a plan of action consistent with the policy objectives described in section 2(a); and (14) include criteria and methodology for graduating countries from assistance provided to implement the Global Food Security Strategy as countries meet the progress benchmarks identified pursuant to section 6(b)(3). (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) multilateral institutions; (B) private voluntary organizations; (C) cooperatives; (D) the private sector; (E) local nongovernmental and civil society organizations; (F) faith-based organizations; (G) congressional committees; and (H) other stakeholders, as appropriate. (c) Strategy submission (1) In general Not later than October 1, 2016, the President 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 , 2151a–1, 2220a et seq., and 2346 et seq.) to prevent or address food shortages notwithstanding any other provision of law. (b) Monitoring and evaluation The President should 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. (c) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to the President $1,000,600,000 for fiscal year 2016 to carry out the Global Food Security Strategy. 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) identify the indicators that will be used to measure results, set benchmarks for progress over time, and establish mechanisms for reporting results in an open and transparent manner; (4) describe the progress made in implementing the Global Food Security Strategy; (5) assess the progress and results of implementing international food and nutrition security programming; (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 recipients of funding or partner organizations and, to the extent possible, describing their activities; (7) identify any United States legal or regulatory impediments that could obstruct the effective implementation of the programming referred to in paragraph (5); (8) contain a clear gender analysis of programming that includes established disaggregated gender indicators to better analyze outcomes for food productivity, income growth, equity in access to inputs, jobs and markets, and nutrition; (9) describe the strategies and benchmarks for graduating target countries and monitoring any graduated target countries; (10) 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) host country governments; (E) international and local private voluntary, nongovernmental, faith-based organizations, and civil society organizations; and (F) other stakeholders; (11) assess United States Government-facilitated private investment in related sectors and the impact of private sector investment in target countries; (12) include consultation with relevant United States Government agencies in the preparation of the report; and (13) incorporate a plan for regularly reviewing and updating strategies, partnerships, and programs and sharing lessons learned with a wide range of stakeholders. (c) Public availability of information The information referred to in subsection (b) shall be made publicly accessible in a timely manner on a consolidated website.