The Global Food Security Act, H.R. 1567, unanimously passed out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday. It authorizes a comprehensive, whole-of-government strategy to address hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.
“We are encouraged by the bipartisan nature of this legislation in the House, which builds upon the success of the U.S. government’s Feed the Future initiative,” said David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. “Since its creation in 2010, Feed the Future has helped more than seven million small farmers in developing countries increase the amount of food they grow.”
H.R. 1567 also prioritizes country ownership and accountability, sustainable and equitable agriculture development, and improving nutrition for children, especially during the critical 1,000 days of life from pregnancy to age 2.
“Empowering women through this legislation is crucial to ending hunger, since women farmers produce well over half of all the food grown around the world. In sub-Saharan Africa, women produce up to 80 percent of the food,” said Beckmann. “Eliminating barriers for women farmers helps their long-term economic prosperity. It also improves their children’s nutrition, health, and lifelong potential.”
The bill now awaits further consideration by the full House of Representatives. The Senate is expected to introduce its version of the bill in the coming weeks.
Afghanistan would be considered likely to have high rates of hunger because at least two of the major causes of global hunger affect it—armed conflict and fragile governmental institutions.
Malnutrition is responsible for nearly half of all preventable deaths among children under 5. Every year, the world loses hundreds of thousands of young children and babies to hunger-related causes.
Bread for the World is calling on the Biden-Harris administration and Congress to build a better 1,000-Days infrastructure in the United States.
“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in faith.” These words from Colossians 2:6 remind us of the faith that is active in love for our neighbors.
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The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is designed to respond to changes in need, making it well suited to respond to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bread for the World and its partners are asking Congress to provide $200 million for global nutrition.
In 2017, 11.8 percent of households in the U.S.—40 million people—were food-insecure, meaning that they were unsure at some point during the year about how they would provide for their next meal.