Briefing Papers Number 15, February 2012 | Page 2

Introduction The United States will be debating and authorizing a new farm bill in the coming year, and food aid quality is likely to be addressed. Much has changed since the last farm bill that underscores the urgency and opportunity of reforming food aid to make it a more effective tool in reducing hunger and malnutrition. The continued volatility in the prices of basic foods, combined with rounds of sudden price spikes in 2008 and 2010-2011, pushed tens of millions of additional people into hunger or food insecurity. In Somalia, drought, violent conflict, and lack of a functioning government led to the 2011 famine that killed tens of thousands of young children and forced many other malnourished people to walk hundreds of kilometers in search of food assistance. In the United States, concern over budget deficits has led to efforts to cut spending and to find program efficiencies. problems. In developing countries, one-third of children are stunted (too short for their age) or underweight. The first U.N. Millennium Development Goal2 —to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger—has a target of reducing by half the number of hungry people in the world by 2015 (using 1990 figures as a baseline). Hunger and the effects of malnutrition contribute to shortened life spans, increased susceptibility to disease, and threatened livelihoods. During hunger emergencies, pregnant and lactating women and very young children are most at risk of malnutrition. Because of the urgency of preventing malnutrition during the 1,000-day window, food aid donors must ensure that this vulnerable group receives the right food assistance that includes the proper nutrition. For people in chronic food-deficit countries, food aid may be their primary, if not their only, source of sustenance. The types of food aid provided by the United States and other donors in general distribution do address hunger by providing needed calories. But ensuring good nutrition to vulnerable populations has not been a high priority—at least partly because it is seen to address short-term food emergencies. UN Photo/Kate Holt Nutrition, the Critical Role of Women, and the 1,000-Day Window A Somali mother and her children in a refugee camp in Kenya Experts now agree that the most critical period in human development is the 1,000 days from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday.1 Malnutrition is uniquely harmful during this period; research shows that the damage it causes to physical and cognitive development is lifelong and irreversible. New knowledge of food aid products that deliver improved nutrition is available. Feed the Future and the Global Health Initiative, major U.S. development programs, are prioritizing maternal and child nutrition. Malnutr