www.bread.org
Outside expertise on nutrition is widely available; the
recommended, new interagency food aid coordination
group should consult specialists as needed. As Feed the
Future programs with nutrition components continue to
be implemented, closer cross-sector communication will
be required. Many nutrition experts are currently working
in global health programs—often on staff at USAID and
with implementing partners—who can facilitate dialogue in
specific areas of expertise.
Best practices and country policies developed in the
context of the SUN movement should also be brought into
the discussion. This is especially relevant when the nutrition
approaches of national civil society organizations can be
complemented by effective use of food aid programs. Input
from these groups that leads to improved programming is an
essential element of “country-led development.”
Conclusion
Good nutrition is a basic building block of life. Nutrition
is an important element of nearly all U.S. government
development assistance initiatives, including Feed the
Future and the Global Health Initiative. The importance of
nutrition is well documented by a growing body of scientific
data and supporting analysis. The success and sustainability
of development programming depends on improving
nutritional outcomes in women and young children. Food
aid is an essential tool in this effort.
Kim Haughton/Concern
food aid programs, including by use of local and regional
purchasing where it is available and meets food aid quality
standards and delivery timetables.
Best practices—on policy, procurement, delivery, and
distribution—must be developed within the existing multipartner framework. This is especially important at a
time of uncertainty over resources to cover recurring and
emergency programming. Food aid policies that lead to
effective nutrition outcomes should be jointly developed
by USAID, USDA, the State Department, and the World
Food Program and other implementing partners. The
U.S. farm bill should make reducing maternal and child
malnutrition in the 1,000-day window an objective of food
aid programming and should adopt nutrition indicators as
measures of effectiveness.
As new food aid products are developed and made
available, deciding which ones to program will require a
higher level of communication and input as to nutrition
outcomes from successful interventions in the field. Bread
for the World Institute supports a recommendation,
outlined by the Tufts study and the Chicago Council on
Global Affairs,23 to form a new interagency committee
co-chaired by USDA and USAID. This committee would
be responsible for reviewing field input, approving new
food aid products, arriving at policy recommendations,
and seeing that all food aid stakeholders’ interests are
represented. Obtaining field data, analyzing it, and
quickly making recommendations is the key. Food aid, b