International Food Security: Insufficient Efforts by Host Governments and Donors Threaten Progress to Halve Hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2015
GAO-08-680
Published: May 29, 2008. Publicly Released: May 29, 2008.
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Highlights
In 1996, the United States and more than 180 world leaders pledged to halve the number of undernourished people globally by 2015 from the 1990 level. The global number has not decreased significantly--remaining at about 850 million in 2001-2003--and the number in sub-Saharan Africa has increased from about 170 million in 1990-1992 to over 200 million in 2001-2003. On the basis of analyses of U.S. and international agency documents, structured panel discussions with experts and practitioners, and fieldwork in four African countries, GAO was asked to examine (1) factors that contribute to persistent food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa and (2) the extent to which host governments and donors, including the United States, are working toward halving hunger in the region by 2015.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Agency for International Development | To enhance efforts to address global food insecurity and accelerate progress toward halving world hunger by 2015, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, the Administrator of USAID should work in collaboration with the Secretaries of State, Agriculture, and the Treasury to develop an integrated governmentwide U.S. strategy that defines each agency's actions and resource commitments toward achieving food security in sub-Saharan Africa, including improving collaboration with host governments and other donors and developing improved measures to monitor and evaluate progress toward the implementation of this strategy. |
Closed – Not Implemented
Since the GAO report was published the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) created the Feed the Future (FTF) Initiative. According to USAID, FTF is the U.S. government?s global hunger and food security initiative. According to USAID, the Feed the Future (FTF) Guide, published in May 2010, describes the strategic approach and implementation structures of FTF. It is intended to inform FTF partners and stakeholders about the development of FTF and how the U.S. government will translate the FTF principles into actions on the ground. USAID, State, USDA and Treasury were involved in developing the strategy, as GAO recommended, and the FTF Guide describes general intentions for periodic reviews and presents a results framework. However, a key part of the recommendation was that the strategy would define each agency's actions and resource commitment, including improving collaboration with host governments and other donors. The FTF Guide does not do so. It only provides a suggestive list of FTF agencies in a footnote and conveys a general intention to collaborate with host governments and other donors. Consequently, the Guide does not represent an integrated strategy, as recommended, or meet its own objectives of translating the FTF principles into actions on the ground.
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| U.S. Agency for International Development | To enhance efforts to address global food insecurity and accelerate progress toward halving world hunger by 2015, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, the Administrator of USAID should prepare and submit, as part of the annual U.S. International Food Assistance Report, an annual report to Congress on progress toward the implementation of the first recommendation. |
Closed – Not Implemented
Since the GAO report was published the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) created the Feed the Future (FTF) Initiative. According to USAID, FTF is the U.S. government's global hunger and food security initiative. As of June 2012, USAID acknowledged it had not yet issued an annual report on FTF, as GAO recommended.
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Agricultural industryAgricultural productionAgricultural programsClimate changeContaminated foodsDeveloping countriesFederal aid to foreign countriesFood industryFood inspectionFood relief programsFood safetyFood supplyForeign aid programsForeign governmentsGrain and grain productsInternational agreementsInternational cooperationInternational food programsInternational organizationsInternational relationsProgram managementStrategic planningSustainable agriculturePolicies and proceduresProgram coordinationProgram goals or objectives