GAO Review International Food Security - USDA Farm Service Agency

							Food Insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa


     USDA & USAID
      International
   Food Aid Conference
    Kansas City, Missouri
      April 6-8, 2009



   Fighting Hunger
     in an Era of
Global Economic Crisis

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                                 Source: GAO (photos)
Proportion of Undernourishment in the World, 2003-05
There are now 963 million hungry people worldwide




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Background

• From January 2007 to June 2008, food protests and riots
  have occurred in more than 50 countries, including at least
  12 countries in sub-Saharan Africa

• Food security and the ongoing food crisis are high on the
  global agenda

• Global hunger alleviation is a priority for the new Congress
  and the new U.S. administration



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Recent and Ongoing GAO Reviews of
U.S. Food Aid and International Food Security

• Ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of
  U.S. food aid (April 2007)
• Persistent food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa
  (May 2008)
• U.S. and other donors’ experiences with local and regional
  procurement of food aid (ongoing, due May 2009)
• U.S. government response to global food insecurity
  (new request)
• Monitoring and evaluation of the Food for Peace Act
  nonemergency food aid (new mandate)


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Improving the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Food Aid
Selected Trends in U.S. Food Aid, Fiscal Years 2001 to 2008




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Status of GAO Recommendations on Improving
the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Food Aid

    Implemented                                  Pending
•   Improving food aid logistical planning   •   Modernizing ocean transportation
    through cost-benefit analysis                and contracting practices

•   Enhancing the reliability and use of     •   Minimizing the cost impact of cargo
    needs assessments for food aid               preferences

•   Determining ways to provide nonfood      •   Establishing a coordinated system
    resources when appropriate                   for tracking food quality complaints

•   Developing an interagency mechanism      •   Developing an information system
    to update food aid specifications and        to track monetization transactions
    products

•   Improving the monitoring of food aid
    programs
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Multiple Factors Contribute to Persistent Food
Insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa

• Limited Agricultural Productivity




                                                 7
Multiple Factors Contribute to Persistent Food
Insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa

•   Limited rural development
    Example: Rural development in sub-Saharan Africa has suffered from weak
    infrastructure, such as lack of rural telecommunications, electricity, and
    roads, as well as farmers’ lack of access to credit.

•   Government policy disincentives
    Example: Tanzanian farmers must pay about 55 taxes, levies, and fees to
    sell their agricultural products, equivalent to 50 percent of the products’ price.

•   Poor health
    Example: The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has taken a heavy toll
    on the population, workforce, and agricultural production of sub-Saharan
    Africa; two-thirds of those in the world who have HIV live in that region.


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High Commodity Prices Will Likely Exacerbate
Food Insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa

         Changes in Commodity Prices, 2000 to 2009




                                                     9
Low Agricultural Spending by Host Governments
Remains a Significant Challenge




                                                10
Donor Efforts Limited by Declining Resources

 Trends in Bilateral and Multilateral Official Development Assistance to
 Agriculture for Africa, 1974 to 2006




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USAID’s Food Aid for Emergencies Has Increased
Substantially, but Food Aid for Development Has Not

Comparison of U.S. Food Aid for Emergencies and Development in Sub-Saharan
Africa under Title II of the Food for Peace Act, Fiscal Years 1992 to 2007




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What Needs to Be Done

To address global food insecurity and accelerate progress toward
  halving world hunger by 2015, USAID should


• Work in collaboration with other agencies to develop an integrated
  strategy for achieving food security in sub-Saharan Africa


• Prepare and submit an annual report to Congress detailing
  progress on these efforts.




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Local and Regional Procurement of Food Aid

• The 2008 Farm Bill authorized $60 million to USDA for a 5-year
  pilot program for local and regional procurement

• In 2008, Congress appropriated another $125 million in
  supplemental International Disaster Assistance and Development
  Assistance funding to USAID for local and regional procurement

• The 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Bill provided $75 million for
  global food security, including for local or regional purchase

• GAO is completing its study of local and regional procurement
  practices of various donors, with a report forthcoming in May 2009

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Related GAO Reports

• International Food Security: Insufficient Efforts by Host Governments and
  Donors Threaten Progress to Halve Hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa by
  2015, GAO-08-680, May 29, 2008
• Foreign Assistance: Various Challenges Impede the Efficiency and
  Effectiveness of U.S. Food Aid, GAO-07-560, April 13, 2007
• Foreign Assistance: U.S. Agencies Face Challenges to Improving the
  Efficiency and Effectiveness of Food Aid, GAO-07-616T, March 21, 2007
• Foreign Assistance: Lack of Strategic Focus and Obstacles to Agricultural
  Recovery Threaten Afghanistan's Stability, GAO-03-607, June 30, 2003
• Foreign Assistance: Sustained Efforts Needed to Help Southern Africa
  Recover from Food Crisis, GAO-03-644, June 25, 2003
         For full copies of GAO reports, click on http://www.gao.gov.

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