Agricultural News
The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition Renews Committment to Africa
Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:11:04 CDT
In 2012, the United States leveraged its presidency of the G-8 to deepen the global commitment to food security through the establishment of the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition. At the G-8 Summit hosted by President Obama at Camp David, African heads of state, corporate leaders and G-8 members pledged to partner through the New Alliance and, working with the African Union and Grow Africa, lift 50 million people out of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa by 2022. Development partners, African governments, and international and local private companies committed to specific policy reforms and investments that will accelerate the implementation of country food security strategies under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program, and sustain inclusive agriculture-led economic growth. By partnering with the private sector during its first year, the New Alliance has already leveraged more than $3.7 billion in private investment in African agriculture. The New Alliance has also expanded over its first year. G-8 leaders this year welcomed the addition of Benin, Malawi, and Nigeria to the New Alliance, joining existing members Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique and Tanzania who have negotiated rigorous Country Cooperation Frameworks for accelerating investment that include policy reforms, private investment intentions, and donor commitments to align predictable assistance flows behind recipient country priorities.
The U.S. government, in collaboration with civil society and other partners, has been a strong advocate for nutrition, particularly during the critical 1,000 days from a woman's pregnancy to her child's second birthday, when better nutrition can have a lifelong impact on a child's future and help break the cycle of poverty. U.S. commitments to nutrition extend beyond the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition to encompass Feed the Future, the Global Health Initiative, and food aid programs. Over the last year, Feed the Future reached than 12 million children through nutrition programs that have reduced anemia, supported community gardens, fostered fortification, and treated acute malnutrition. Working on the ground in nineteen countries, Feed the Future has helped 7 million farmers adopt improved technologies or management practices, increasing yields and improving livelihoods. The U.S. government announced at the UK's Nutrition for Growth event on June 8th that we have nearly doubled nutrition funding and tripled agriculture funding since 2008, including providing $1 billion for nutrition-specific interventions and nearly $9 billion for nutrition-sensitive activities over fiscal years 2012-2014. U.S. investments are expected to accelerate trends in stunting reduction, and our goal is to reduce stunting by 20 percent over five years in the areas where Feed the Future works, translating into 2 million fewer stunted children. U.S. efforts also support the World Health Assembly goal to reduce childhood stunting by 40 percent by 2025.
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