[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5656 Received in Senate (RDS)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5656
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 11, 2014
Received
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
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
sustainable agricultural-led economic growth, improve nutritional
outcomes, especially for women and children, build resilience among
vulnerable populations, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Global Food Security Act of 2014''.
SEC. 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 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
investments in trade, economic growth, science and technology,
maternal and child health, and water, sanitation, and hygiene;
and
(7) 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;
(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 contracting
mechanism; and
(3) continue to strengthen existing partnerships between
developing country institutions of agricultural sciences with
universities in the United States, with a focus on building the
capacities of developing nation universities in agriculture.
SEC. 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) Global food security strategy.--The term ``Global Food
Security Strategy'' means the strategy developed and
implemented pursuant to section 4(a).
(5) 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.
(6) Malnutrition.--The term ``malnutrition'' means poor
nutritional status caused by nutritional deficiency or excess.
(7) 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.
(8) 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.
(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.
SEC. 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) seek to improve 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) seek to ensure the long-term success of programs by
building the capacity of local organizations and institutions;
(5) integrate resilience 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) support integrating agricultural development activities
among food insecure populations living in proximity to
designated national parks or wildlife areas to support 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) set clear and transparent selection criteria for
target countries, regions, and intended beneficiaries of
assistance to implement the Global Food Security Strategy;
(12) set specific and measurable goals, targets, and time
frames, and a plan of action consistent with the policy
objectives described in section 2(a);
(13) seek to ensure that target countries respect and
promote the lawful land tenure rights of local communities,
particularly those of women and small-scale producers; and
(14) include criteria and methodology for graduating
countries from assistance to implement the Global Food Security
Strategy once the countries have achieved certain benchmarks.
(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.
SEC. 5. ASSISTANCE TO IMPLEMENT THE GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY STRATEGY.
(a) In General.--The President is authorized to provide assistance
to implement the Global Food Security Strategy pursuant to the
authorities of 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.)
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 2015 to
carry out this section.
SEC. 6. REPORT.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, 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.
Passed the House of Representatives December 10, 2014.
Attest:
KAREN L. HAAS,
Clerk.