U.S. international food assistance report 2007

In fiscal year (FY) 2007, the United States provided more than $2.1 billion of food aid to 78 developing countries, reaching tens of millions of people worldwide. Over the course of FY 2007, USAID and USDA international food assistance programs have proven increasingly responsive to global efforts at reducing food insecurity and targeting those most in need. By responding to assessment and situational information, focusing on reducing risk and vulnerability, targeting the poorest of the poor, and better integrating individual programs into larger � often international � efforts, the U.S. government aims to improve the effectiveness of aid and to reach global targets for reducing hunger, malnutrition and poverty. This aid is essential in emergency situations, including the ongoing crisis in Sudan. In FY 2007, more than 354,630 MT of USAID Title II commodities, valued at $356 million, were provided to an estimated 6.4 million beneficiaries in Sudan alone. Meanwhile, in Zimbabwe, 88,900 MT of emergency food assistance helped almost 700,000 people cope with the dual burdens of a deteriorating economic situation and poor agricultural performance. Finally, recognizing the importance of linking development opportunities within a relief setting, Ethiopia"s Productive Safety Net Program continued to implement activities that targeted both chronic and acute malnutrition, to the benefit of over seven million individuals. In all, over 22.7 million people benefited from emergency food aid activities provided through Title II. At the same time, USAID non-emergency programs continued to focus on increasing agricultural production, and supporting programs to address health, nutrition, HIV and others aimed at investing in people. Special emphasis is placed on combating the root causes of hunger and malnutrition, and interventions are often multi-sectoral in nature as a result. Over the course of the year, more than 8.6 million people in 26 countries benefited from USAID Title II non-emergency food assistance. USDA Title I, 416(b), and Food for Progress programs provided commodities to food-insecure populations through The World Food Programme (WFP), private voluntary organizations (PVOs) and foreign governments. These resources supported a variety of food security objectives in developing countries, such as humanitarian assistance, HIV mitigation, and agricultural and rural development. In FY 2007, USDA continued the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, providing commodities for school feeding as well as nutrition programs for mothers, infants, and children under five, positively impacting the lives of more than 3.3 million beneficiaries. (Author abstract, modified)