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Food Insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa

USDA & USAIDInternational

Food Aid Conference Kansas City, Missouri

April 6-8, 2009

Source: GAO (photos)

Fighting Hunger in an Era of

Global Economic Crisis

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Proportion of Undernourishment in the World, 2003-05There 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 ofU.S. Food Aid and International Food Security

• Ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness ofU.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 AidSelected Trends in U.S. Food Aid, Fiscal Years 2001 to 2008

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Status of GAO Recommendations on Improvingthe Efficiency and Effectiveness of Food Aid

Implemented Pending

• Improving food aid logistical planningthrough cost-benefit analysis

• Enhancing the reliability and use ofneeds assessments for food aid

• Determining ways to provide nonfood resources when appropriate

• Developing an interagency mechanismto update food aid specifications and products

• Improving the monitoring of food aid programs

• Modernizing ocean transportationand contracting practices

• Minimizing the cost impact of cargo preferences

• Establishing a coordinated systemfor tracking food quality complaints

• Developing an information systemto track monetization transactions

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

• Limited Agricultural Productivity

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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 ExacerbateFood Insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa

Changes in Commodity Prices, 2000 to 2009

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Low Agricultural Spending by Host Governments Remains a Significant Challenge

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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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• 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

Local and Regional Procurement of Food Aid

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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.