| Food
Security II -African Hunger |
The Partnership to Cut Hunger in Africa ....is an independent effort formed by U.S. and African public and private sector institutions and international humanitarian organizations. The goal of the Partnership is to formulate a vision, strategy, and action plan for renewed U.S. efforts to help African partners cut hunger significantly by 2015. To view this document in Adobe Acrobat format (59 Kb) To learn more, visit the Partnership’s Web site www.africanhunger.org or write to: Executive Office June 1, 2001 The objective of the Partnership to Cut Hunger in Africa is to develop a new consensus on a long-term strategy for U.S. efforts to help cut hunger in Africa and a continuing partnership to implement the resulting program. Context Africa's massive food and hunger crisis is the world's most challenging development problem. In the year 2000, almost 200 million Africans, fully a third of the total population, go to sleep hungry and 31 million African children under the age of five are malnourished. These problems are compounded by the AIDS epidemic now ravaging the continent. The human and economic costs are staggering. Strengthening agriculture in Africa is key to addressing the root causes of hunger. By providing rural families (two thirds of the population) with opportunities to produce more of their own food, or earn income to buy more food and basic consumer goods, countries can lay the foundation for fighting hunger in a sustainable way. Agricultural investments that favor the poor are essential to stimulating new growth and income-earning opportunities not only in farming, but in other rural and urban activities as well, particularly micro-enterprises. These investments also stimulate the necessary economic growth to finance improvements in child/maternal health and nutrition education, which are essential to cut malnutrition. Agricultural productivity growth also reduces population pressure on forests and fragile ecosystems, thereby helping to protect the environment. In the United States, public funding for agricultural assistance to Africa has declined dramatically over the last decade. Americans give generously to calls from charitable organizations for short-term emergency and food needs. But this critical short-term assistance is not enough to create the successful food and agricultural sector that will spur broad-based economic growth and allow Africa to feed itself on a sustained basis. In the U.S., efforts are being made to reverse the decline in funds. At the World Food Summit in 1996, 186 nations, including all of the African countries and the United States, endorsed efforts to cut hunger worldwide by half by 2015. The U.S. African Food Security Initiative (1998-2000) and the Africa: Seeds of Hope legislation (1998) focused on the need to develop Africa's agriculture as a primary strategy for cutting hunger. Despite funding shortfalls, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other U.S. government agencies, foundations, universities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and private sector companies are presently implementing many innovative programs directed toward alleviating hunger and poverty in Africa. While important, these actions are not enough to keep poverty and hunger from growing in many African countries. The U.S. is not providing sufficient resources, nor is it tapping into the full range of interest, ability, experience and capacity available to address this problem. What is needed is a shared U.S./African vision that articulates the strategic importance (to both Africa and the United States) of cutting hunger in Africa, with adequate resources and a mechanism to bring the vision to fruition. How is The Partnership Working to Cut Hunger in Africa? In developing and gaining consensus for a new strategy, the Partnership seeks to:
The Partnership to Cut Hunger in Africa will build on past efforts and leverage several new developments to expand the U.S. response to the problem. These developments include advances in technology (especially information technology and biotechnology), the potential for increased trade, global financial markets, and, democratization in African countries. There is also a growing recognition that we must look past crisis intervention to sustainable development of Africa's agriculture and food systems. Executive CommitteeM. Peter McPherson, Co-chair President, Michigan State University Alpha Oumar Konaré, Co-chair President, Republic of Mali Senator Robert Dole, Co-chair Special Counsel, Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand Lee Hamilton, Co-chair Director, The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars David Beckmann President, Bread for the World Mary Chambliss Deputy Administrator, Export Credits, Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA Imani Countess Outreach Coordinator, Shared Interest William B. DeLauder President, Delaware State University Stephen Hayes President, Corporate Council on Africa Joseph Kennedy Co-Founder, Africare George Rupp President, Columbia University Emmy Simmons Director, Economic Growth and Agricultural Development, Bureau for Global Programs, US Agency for International Development Ambassador Edith Ssempala Embassy of Uganda Bob Stallman President, American Farm Bureau Federation Advisory CommitteeEarl Kellogg (Chair) -- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Emmanuel Acquah -- University of Maryland Eastern Shore Per Pinstrup-Andersen -- International Food Policy Research Institute Robert Berg -- International Development Conference Lucas Brader -- International Institute of Tropical Agriculture C. Gaye Burpee -- Catholic Relief Services Cheryl Christensen -- Economic Research Service, USDA Steven J. Daugherty -- Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. Dana de Kanter -- The Small Enterprise and Education Promotion (SEEP) Network Michael Deegan -- ACDI/VOCA Montague W. Demment -- University of California - Davis Josué Dioné -- African Development Bank Richard Goodyear -- Save the Children Paul Green -- North American Millers Association John Hardmann -- Carter Center Robert Herdt -- Rockefeller Foundation Hiram Larew -- Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, USDA Cheryl Morden -- International Center for Research on Women Mortimer H. Neufville -- NASULGC Don Reeves -- American Friends Service Committee Susanne Riveles -- Lutheran World Relief Leonard H. Robinson, Jr. -- The National Summit on Africa Beatrice L. Rogers -- Tufts University David Sammons -- Purdue University G. Edward Schuh -- University of Minnesota Eugene Terry -- World Bank Robert Thompson -- World Bank Moctar Touré -- SPAAR Secretariat, World Bank Van Yeutter -- Cargill, Incorporated Key African Regional/National Participants ConsultedJosué Dioné -- African Development Bank Baba Dioum -- Conference of West and Central African Ministers of Agriculture Yamar Mbodj -- Food Security Coordinator, CILSS Isaac Minde -- Coordinator, ASARECA/ECAPAPA Fred Opio -- Coordinator, 2020 Vision East Africa Network Akin Adesina -- Rockefeller Foundation, Harare Office Mandivamba Rukuni -- Kellogg Foundation, South Africa Office African ConsultationsThe Partnership will conduct consultations in five African countries: Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria and Uganda. Partnership Co-chair Alpha Oumar Konaré, President of Mali, has invited four additional African Presidents to lead consultations: President John Agyekum Kufuor Ghana President Joaquim Chissano Mozambique President Olusegun Obasanjo Nigeria President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Uganda
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