The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“FOOD SECURITY” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Senate section on pages S10887-S10889 on Oct. 29, 2009.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
FOOD SECURITY
Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, last week the United Nations Food Agency announced there are now a record 1 billion people in the world who go hungry--nearly one-sixth of the world's population. The crisis that caught the world's attention last year has escalated and has had a devastating effect in all corners of the globe.
On my left is a headline from the Associated Press from a few days ago: ``A Record One Billion Are Hungry, U.N. Report Says.'' This chart tracks from 1969 forward. We can see where it remained relatively stable for a while and then started to pick up in the early part of this decade, to the point now it is above 1 billion and is going in the wrong direction, going far too high--1 billion people in the world hungry.
While the number of undernourished has increased steadily since the 1990s, there was a sharp spike last year due to the global food crisis. We can work to address this problem, I believe. We should work to address this problem, and I believe we must work to address this problem.
Some people might say there is a bad economy in the United States. We have other major challenges and priorities. Why should we worry or address a problem that might seem too big to deal with and it is mostly about other places, they might argue.
We know what hunger has done here in America, what a lack of food security has done to our country. But we also know it has devastating impacts across the world.
There are at least two major reasons why the United States of America has to be deeply concerned about that headline of 1 billion people going hungry. First, it is a humanitarian crisis of incalculable proportions. As one of the richest countries in the world, we have, I believe, a moral obligation to help as we can and help when we can. I think this is one of those moments.
This crisis is solvable with a combination of assistance and emphasis on providing small farmers around the world with the know-how, the technology, and the means to provide for themselves.
There is also a second reason why we have to address this problem, and it involves something as fundamental as national security.
Instability arising from conflict over access to food is a documented and real problem. It is irrefutable based upon what we have seen in the last couple of years. Last year's food crisis, unfortunately, brought this into acute focus. We saw it in Somalia where struggles to gain access to food have enveloped population centers in violence. We have seen it in Egypt during last year's bread riots. And we have seen it in Haiti where hospital beds filled last year with those injured during food riots. Increased instability in any of these countries, not to mention so many others, has a direct impact on U.S. national security and our national interests.
There are a host of examples from across the world that illustrate the scope of the problem. Here are a few.
Higher rates of hunger are shown to be linked to gender inequality, especially in terms of education and literacy, which also negatively affects the rate of child malnutrition. It is estimated that 60 percent--imagine this--60 percent of the world's chronically hungry are women and girls. Sixty percent of those chronically hungry in the world are women and girls. And 20 percent of that 60 percent are children under the age of 5.
This is particularly evident in Chad which, according to the International Food Policy Research organization, ranks fifth worst on the 2009 global hunger index, second in terms of gender inequality, and has a female literacy rate of 13 percent, compared to 41 percent for men in that country.
IFPR's research shows that equalizing men and women's status could reduce the number of malnourished children in Chad by 1.7 million people in sub-Saharan Africa and a shocking 13.4 million in South Asia.
It goes beyond the one example in Chad. Hunger in Pakistan poses both problems. It poses both a humanitarian problem as well as a security problem. Last year, over 77 million people in Pakistan were considered
``food insecure'' by the World Food Program. That is nearly half of the population of that country. As Pakistan's military is conducting new operations against the Taliban, that number is expected to increase. Hunger and competition for food can lead to further instability and potentially undermine government leadership at a very critical time.
Finally, the last example. In South America, Bolivia remains one of the least developed countries with more than two-thirds of its population living below the poverty line. Poverty is the main cause of food insecurity in Bolivia. The income of 40 percent of its population and 59 percent in rural areas is not enough to meet basic food needs. This also has had a real impact on the health of the population. Malnutrition, for example, in Bolivia has stunted the growth of nearly 30 percent of children.
What should be done to address this urgent humanitarian and national security crisis? A couple of things. First, for too long, the international community has relied on an assistance model that provided food but not the capacity to grow food. We are starting to see a shift in thinking as the assistance community is more strategic about how they provide the training and technical assistance necessary to help the world's hungry.
In 1980--another stunning number that I recite here--17 percent of aid contributed by foreign countries went to agriculture. This number plummeted to 3.8 percent in 2006 and has only slightly improved in recent years. Imagine that: The percent of aid contributed by foreign countries that goes to agriculture was 17 percent worldwide but has now gone down to a little less than 4 percent.
Last year, the Bush administration responded quickly to the food crisis with emergency assistance. I was proud to be part of an effort to urge them to do that along with Senator Durbin and others. This was an important thing to do at the time and it was the right thing to do. While we may need to provide additional emergency aid to address the current crisis, we should simultaneously attack the root cause of the problems.
I applaud President Obama and his administration for their efforts to help the hungry in America and across the world. In September, the White House announced the Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative, a comprehensive approach to food security based on a commitment, led by people in the administration, that focuses on both planning and collaboration. Secretary of State Clinton is leading a visionary
``whole of government'' effort to help the world's hungry. As the administration works out the details of implementation, I hope and trust we will maintain a sharp focus on the ability of small-scale farmers to grow food at an increased and sustainable rate.
In the Senate, we have also worked to bring attention to the world's hungry. Senator Lugar, a respected leader in this field for decades, and I joined together to introduce the Global Food Security Act earlier this year.
Our bill has three fundamental objectives. First, the bill will provide for enhanced coordination within the U.S. Government so that USAID, the Department of Agriculture, and other involved entities are not working at cross-purposes. We do that by establishing a new position, the Special Coordinator for Food Security, who will report directly to the President of the United States on international food security issues and who would forge a comprehensive food security strategy.
Second, our bill would expand U.S. investment in the agricultural productivity of developing nations so that nations facing escalating food prices can rely less on emergency food assistance and instead take the steps to expand their own production.
Every dollar invested in agricultural research and development generates $9 worth of food in the developing world. This provision can serve as a vehicle for the President's pledge to more than double the U.S. agricultural development assistance over the next 3 years.
Third, our bill would modernize our system of emergency food assistance so that it is more flexible and can provide aid on short notice. We do that by authorizing a new $500 million fund for U.S. emergency food assistance when appropriate.
Finally, we should note that our bill, the Global Food Security Act, has passed through our Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and we hope it will be on the Senate floor soon.
This is one of those rare occasions where a serious crisis is greeted with serious administration support, interagency cooperation, as well as--we don't hear this too often--bipartisan collaboration in the Senate and House. This is the right thing to do and will ultimately enhance the security of the United States and our allies.
The global food crisis last summer had a devastating effect on the poor in every corner of the world, and today we continue to see its terrible results. In times of economic troubles, it is difficult to find funds for all programs, including international affairs. Yet I believe we are summoned by our conscience to respond to this humanitarian crisis.
I also believe we have an obligation--a deep abiding obligation--to strengthen our national security by enhancing food security here at home and around the world, especially in places where food insecurity threatens U.S. national interests.
If enacted, the Global Food Security Act has the potential to help us meet these challenges and obligations. We have a plan that can work. Let's start to attack the roots of this terrible problem so another record number of hungry is not set next year, and let's hope we can somehow alter or change that headline of 1 billion people going hungry in the world.
I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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