Attachment J.4_Global-Food-Security-Strategy.pdf

U.S. GOVERNMENT GLOBAL

FOOD SECURITY STRATEGY

Fiscal Year 2022-2026

LETTER FROM THE GLOBAL COORDINATOR FOR FEED THE FUTURE

I write this at a pivotal moment for global food security. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, 97 million more people now live on less than $2 a day—the first global increase in extreme poverty in more than two decades. Sadly, this increase in poverty will not simply disappear when the pandemic ends, and if unchecked could persist well into the coming decades. We can seize the initiative to accelerate and protect progress in reducing global poverty despite the pandemic. In spite of the COVID-19 shocks and setbacks, we must all refuse to accept increasing global poverty as inevitable—and USAID is committed to pursuing a different future. Ensuring that families have the basic dignity of nourishing food to eat deserves nothing less.

USAID is committed to a different future.

The updated Global Food Security Strategy is our roadmap to that better future. It charts an ambitious course to reduce global poverty, hunger, and malnutrition in the face of COVID-19, climate change, growing conflict, and rising inequality through Feed the Future, the U.S.

government’s (USG) global hunger and food-security initiative. It brings America’s full strength to bear on these challenges by drawing on the expertise of agencies across the U.S. government.

Through this strategy, we aim to contribute toward a 20% reduction in poverty and stunting in the areas where we work between 2022-2026 by partnering with foreign governments, the private sector, and our colleagues across the interagency.

This Strategy builds on the success of the first phase of Feed the Future, which launched in 2010. In areas where Feed the Future works, the program has contributed to an estimated 23.4 million more people living above the poverty line, 3.4 million more children not being stunted and able to live up to their full potential, and an estimated 5.2 million more families not going hungry.

Feed the Future has shown that progress on ending hunger is possible.

To maintain these gains in the face of today’s critical challenges, the Global Food Security Strategy integrates lessons learned, the latest evidence, and insights from the communities Feed the Future serves. The Strategy emphasizes equity and inclusion, with a particular focus on inclusive agricultural-led economic growth that empowers women, girls, youth, and marginalized communities. An ambitious approach to climate change underpins the Strategy, with a focus on climate-smart innovations to help communities vulnerable to the accelerating effects of climate change adapt and thrive while reducing emissions and enhancing carbon storage in soils and agricultural tree cover. As COVID-19 threatens to derail years of food-security progress, this approach will help accelerate recovery from the economic setbacks of the pandemic by helping restore and improve functioning food production and market systems.

Ending global hunger requires a comprehensive food-systems approach, which takes into account the many integrated parts of food’s journey from cultivation to consumption. This Strategy reinforces, expands, and updates Feed the Future’s approach of enhancing the production, affordability, and marketing of nutritious foods that reduce malnutrition and improve diet quality. Conflict remains the single largest driver of food crises worldwide,1 so the Strategy also leverages complementary investments in conflict mitigation, peacebuilding, and social cohesion.

This is an enormous undertaking. But whatever the demands of the moment, USAID will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our partners, working to end hunger.

We are working toward a future where global hunger is a memory.

Thank you for your engagement on these critical issues.

USAID Administrator Samantha Power Feed the Future Global Coordinator

1 Food Security Information Network (2018). Global Report on Food Crises.

https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/WFP-0000069227/download/?_ga=2.218157145.1517513090.1626359822-1455967985.162 6359822 https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/WFP-0000069227/download/?_ga=2.218157145.1517513090.1626359822-1455967985.162

U.S. Government Global Food Security Strategy

Table of Contents Executive Summary 3

Acronyms and Abbreviations 10

1. The Global Context 13

2. Goal and Objectives of the Strategy: The Results Framework 23 Objective 1: Inclusive and Sustainable Agriculture-Led Economic Growth 26 Objective 2: Strengthened Resilience Among People and Systems 33 Objective 3: A Well-Nourished Population, Especially Among Women and Children 38 Cross-Cutting Intermediate Results 44

Cross-Cutting Intermediate Result 1: Strengthened global commitment to investing in food security 44 Cross-Cutting Intermediate Result 2: Increased gender equality and female empowerment 45 Cross-Cutting Intermediate Result 3: Increased youth empowerment and livelihoods 48 Cross-Cutting Intermediate Result 4: Enhanced climate change adaptation and mitigation 50 Cross-Cutting Intermediate Result 5: Improved natural resource management 52 Cross-Cutting Intermediate Result 6: Improved water resources management 54 Cross-Cutting Intermediate Result 7: More effective governance, policy, and institutions 56 Cross-Cutting Intermediate Result 8: Improved human, organizational, and system performance 58 Cross-Cutting Intermediate Result 9: Enhanced integration of conflict sensitivity, peacebuilding, and social cohesion 59 Cross-Cutting Intermediate Result 10: Enhanced integration of digital technologies 60

Complementary Results 62

3. Targeting Approach 64

4. U.S. Approach 66 Localization and Country Ownership 66 Whole-of-Government Coordination 68 Sustainability 70 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility 71 Partnerships 71 Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) 74

5. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning 77

Glossary of Key Terms 84

Annex 1. Agency Implementation Plans 93 U.S. Agency for International Development 94 U.S. Department of Agriculture 97 U.S. Department of Commerce 99 U.S. Department of State 102 U.S. Department of the Treasury 105

The Millennium Challenge Corporation 107 U.S. International Development Finance Corporation 113 Peace Corps 116 Office of the United States Trade Representative 120 U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) 121 U.S. Geological Survey 124 Inter-American Foundation 127

Annex 2. Index of Global Food Security Act Strategy Requirements 130

Annex 3. Global Food Security Research Strategy 133

Executive Summary The Global Food Security Strategy (GFSS) charts a course for the U.S. government (USG) to support the achievement of global food security, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),2 and the 2030 Agenda, in collaboration and coordination with partners across the globe.3 The GFSS brings the full strength of the USG to bear on ending hunger by drawing from the expertise of agencies across the government. Led by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the USG interagency community developed the first GFSS, as mandated by the 2016 bipartisan Global Food Security Act (GFSA), and implements Feed the Future (FTF), the USG’s initiative to end global hunger and food insecurity.4 The USG released the first GFSS in 2017, drawing on FTF’s lessons learned since its inception in 2010.

Guided by the GFSS, FTF has shown that progress on ending hunger is possible. By bringing partners together to invest in agriculture, resilience, and nutrition, the USG has enabled millions of families around the world to have the basic dignity of food to eat. In areas where FTF works, an estimated 23.4 million more people are living above the poverty line, 3.4 million more children are not stunted, and an estimated

5.2 million more families are not hungry.5 In addition, the FTF initiative has unlocked $3.5 billion in financing for food security (2011-2019), helped generate $13.7 billion in agricultural sales, and developed and deployed more than 1,000 innovations.

Since its inception, FTF has worked with 21 target countries. At the time of this writing, the FTF initiative works in 12 countries, while supporting food-security efforts in aligned countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin American and the Caribbean. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, USAID and its interagency partners will expand the number of target countries based on a data-driven analysis of “level of need” and “opportunity for impact” in alignment with the targeting criteria in the GFSA.

Target Countries Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Mali, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda.

2 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. (2021). The 17 Goals. https://sdgs.un.org/goals 3 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2021). Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda 4 USAID. Feed the Future. (2021). https://feedthefuture.gov/ 5 USAID. Feed the Future. (2021). U.S. Government Global Food Security Strategy Implementation Report. https://cg-281711fb-71ea- 422c-b02c-ef79f539e9d2.s3.us-gov-west-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/02/Final-GFSS-Implementation-Report-021721.pdf https://feedthefuture.gov https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda https://sdgs.un.org/goals https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda https://cg-281711fb-71ea-422c-b02c-ef79f539e9d2.s3.us-gov-west-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/02/Final-GFSS-Implementation-Report-021721.pdf

Building off the successes and lessons of the first GFSS, the FTF interagency community developed the FY 2022-2026 GFSS, a robust response to the crises that threaten to undermine global food-security progress: COVID-19, conflict, inequity, and climate. Through this strategy, we aim to contribute toward a 20% reduction in poverty and stunting in the areas where we work between 2022-2026 by partnering with foreign governments, the private sector, civil society, implementers, and the research community.

Our overarching Goal is still to sustainably reduce global poverty, hunger, and malnutrition across FTF’s three Objectives:

● Inclusive and sustainable agriculture-led economic growth: Growth in the agriculture sector is up to four times more effective at reducing extreme poverty in developing countries than growth in other sectors.6 It does so directly through productivity growth that drives demand for locally produced goods and services, and indirectly by making food more affordable, which disproportionately benefits low-income groups. Productivity growth spans increased yields, resource-use conservation, reduced post-harvest loss, market efficiency, and value addition. The resulting inclusive and sustainable agriculture-led economic growth provides multiple pathways to poverty reduction in rural and urban settings. It creates jobs and reliable incomes directly through the agriculture and food system and indirectly through multiplier effects across the broader economy, while increasing access to safe and nutritious foods. Further, inclusive policies alongside local and country ownership strengthen the agency of individuals and communities to drive sustainable and equitable development. Elevating diversity, equity, and inclusion across FTF’s work is central to the GFSS.

Senegal In Senegal, FTF unlocked $64 million in loans in a single year for Senegalese farmers, wholesalers, millers, and finance institutions. With access to high-quality seeds and mechanization services, smallholder farmers doubled their productivity and added a second growing cycle. As a result, their average rice production shot up 123% from 2012 to 2018. The U.S. African Development Foundation invested in local cooperatives, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation helped connect farmers to markets. Through this team effort, market prices have stabilized in Senegal, and loan defaults have declined, demonstrating progress that is paving the way for greater transformation in the rice sector. These changes not only benefit local communities but also cascade across the country. FTF is helping grow country-wide demand for locally milled rice by introducing it to the national market. As a result, demand for and consumption of local rice is up, and imports from Asia are down 300%.

● Strengthened resilience among people, communities, countries, and systems: Building resilience helps people, households, communities, systems, and countries mitigate risk and manage shocks and stresses without compromising their food security, nutrition, livelihoods, and well-being, especially among marginalized and underrepresented groups. Resilience investments strengthen risk-mitigation and management systems, shock-responsive mechanisms, and social protection systems that reduce vulnerability and exposure to shocks and stresses, prevent loss of assets during an emergency, and lead to a stronger recovery. Programs also invest in multisectoral adaptation strategies to build a range of resilience capacities and productive assets that strengthen

6 Ligon, E. & Sadoulet, E. (2018). Estimating the Relative Benefits of Agricultural Growth on the Distribution of Expenditures. World Development, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 417-428.

financial, social, physical, environmental, and political capital. Investing in people and systems at all levels enables programs to reach scale, build self-reliance, and can result in transformative and sustainable change. Core to resilience programming is strengthening linkages among development, humanitarian, and peace-promoting programs to foster transitions out of poverty toward sustainable and productive livelihoods and reductions in humanitarian need.

Nepal FTF’s efforts to strengthen resilience in Nepal have created a strong foundation for recovery after a major earthquake in 2015 and protected previous development gains, including in child nutrition. FTF reached farming communities hardest hit by the disaster to expand agricultural development activities, like raising goats, that allowed farmers to increase revenues and rebuild their homes. FTF also unlocked access to finance for these communities to invest in commercial agriculture so that farmers could better provide for their families. Despite major setbacks from the earthquake, Nepal has made important strides in nutrition and food security. In areas where FTF works, for instance, stunting in children under 5 years old has dropped by 39% since 2011.

● A well-nourished population, especially among women and children: Undernutrition, particularly during the 1,000 days from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday, causes 45% of child deaths.7 For those children who survive, malnutrition contributes to lower levels of educational attainment, productivity, and lifetime earnings. Addressing malnutrition in all its forms is fundamental to eliminating the related economic and health impacts and to ensure resilient, prosperous communities. FTF focuses on improving the quality and affordability of nutritious diets, raising incomes, and empowering women. It emphasizes evidence-based pathways for enhancing nutrition through food systems approaches, food safety, and nutrition education, where policy interventions also feature prominently. Nutrition-specific interventions, often provided through the health system, are integral to FTF and complement our work across the food system. Nutrition is further advanced through allied efforts in water security, sanitation, and hygiene that also improve the efficacy and outcomes of nutrition-specific and food-based approaches.

Today’s volatile environment demands that the GFSS adapt to a rapidly changing global context. Specifically, FTF incorporates five new or elevated priority areas of emphasis and action:

● Equity and Inclusion: FTF, with our focus on reducing extreme poverty and undernutrition, has always had a strong equity focus. Due to COVID-19 and other factors, gender inequality is rising globally, entrenching poverty and malnutrition and stifling communities' resilience.8 9 These trends

7 The Lancet. (2013). Maternal and Child Nutrition: Executive Summary of The Lancet Maternal and Child Nutrition Series.

https://www.thelancet.com/pb/assets/raw/Lancet/stories/series/nutrition-eng.pdf 8 According to United Nations, "Bridging the Inequality Divide;" un.org; https://www.un.org/en/un75/inequality-bridging-divide, accessed July 30, 2021, although income inequalities between countries have decreased since the 1990s, the gap remains wide, and income inequalities within countries have become worse. Beyond measures of inequality related to income and purchasing power, inequalities of opportunity have wide reaching effects, including decreased life expectancy; less access to basic services; diminished human rights; hampered skills accumulation, economic and social mobility, and human development, which dampens economic growth; and increases social discord and insecurity. See also: World Social Report, (2020).

9 “Through 2017, the last year for which global data are available, extreme poverty reduction slowed compared with previous decades.

This deceleration alone would have made it hard to reach the 2030 target of 3 percent global poverty. Now, the COVID-19 https://www.un.org/en/un75/inequality-bridging-divide https://www.thelancet.com/pb/assets/raw/Lancet/stories/series/nutrition-eng.pdf underscore the need for sustained improvements in inclusive economic growth that reach those who are poor and marginalized. Years of evidence demonstrate that without inclusive and equitable approaches, development interventions are not as effective and can even do harm. When people face discrimination and are not provided opportunities to fully participate and benefit, growth will slow and inequality will increase. The evidence base is particularly compelling in terms of hindered progress with respect to a lack of gender equality. Despite having prioritized gender since its inception, FTF must do better to fully achieve its potential for addressing hunger and poverty, nutrition, and resilience. We will do this by intentionally addressing inclusion, especially of women and youth, both on farm and off. We will learn from consultations and engagements with marginalized groups that may include, but are not limited to women and girls; persons with disabilities; LGBTQI+ people; displaced persons; migrants; Indigenous peoples and communities;

youth; older persons; religious minorities; ethnic and racial groups; people in lower castes; and people of diverse economic classes and political opinions. We know that if we do not intentionally include, we unintentionally exclude. In our work on the ground, we will collaborate with local partners to address the context-specific challenges to inclusion and work to ensure FTF programs are intentional in engaging all who can contribute to and benefit from inclusive growth. Mitigating vulnerable conditions by raising income and creating opportunities for those who are poor is critical to achieving both the GFSS goals10 11 and SDG 10, Reduced Inequalities.12

● An Ambitious Approach to Climate Change: Addressing the immediate and long-term impacts of climate change underpins the achievement of all GFSS Objectives and the ability of communities to sustain development outcomes, particularly those that benefit the most chronically marginalized and underserved populations. Climate change is both a stressor and risk multiplier, leading to increased crop failures, water insecurity, depletion of natural resources, and more frequent and extreme weather events. Farmers face higher temperatures that stress crops and livestock and make agricultural labor more difficult and dangerous. In addition, climate change causes longer droughts, unpredictable rains, and warming oceans affecting fish stocks. It is estimated that 75 % of emissions from land-use change are generated by the expansion of agriculture in the developing world, resulting in deforestation or degradation of other carbon-rich ecosystems. Most of the hot spots for land conversion and forest loss are outside the FTF zones of influence, but many tools, technologies, and approaches utilized in FTF produce sizable climate gains. Reducing emissions and emissions intensity, enhancing carbon storage in soils and agricultural tree cover and many other climate-smart innovations are an essential part of the immediate and long-term strategy to reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG).

The FY 2022-2026 GFSS serves as a guide for more ambitious FTF programming to enhance climate adaptation and mitigation by:

(coronavirus) pandemic has reversed the gains in global poverty for the first time in a generation. By most estimates, this reversal of fortune is expected to push between 88 million and 115 million more people into extreme poverty in 2020. But COVID-19 is not the only reversal that threatens the poverty goals: Confronting conflict and climate change will also be critical to putting poverty eradication back on track.” See: World Bank. (2020). Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2020: Reversals of Fortune.

https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/poverty-and-shared-prosperity 10 United Nations. (2021). Bridging the Inequality Divide. https://www.un.org/en/un75/inequality-bridging-divide 11 World Bank. (2020). Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2020: Reversals of Fortune.

https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/poverty-and-shared-prosperity 12 United Nations. (2021). Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities.

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/inequality https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/inequality https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/poverty-and-shared-prosperity https://www.un.org/en/un75/inequality-bridging-divide https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/poverty-and-shared-prosperity

○ Developing and promoting inclusive and equitable uptake of climate-smart technologies, practices, and policies that promote adaptation and also reduce emissions intensity and help conserve natural resources at scale;

○ Strengthening markets, policies, and risk mitigation that buffer food systems from shocks;

○ Reducing food loss and waste;

○ Reducing degradation of carbon-rich ecosystems and increasing carbon storage;

○ Developing sustainable on- and off-farm livelihoods that reduce dependency on seasonality and pressure on natural resources;

○ Improving water resources management (WRM);

○ Reducing climate-linked food and water insecurity, which can exacerbate displacement and conflict;

○ Developing public- and private-sector partnerships that advance collective action on climate change adaptation and inclusive development;

○ Incorporating social protection policies and programs into the FTF model, which can play a central role in managing climate risks by addressing chronic poverty, providing temporary support during periods of acute economic and livelihood disruption, and ultimately building resilience by enabling communities to be better prepared for shocks; and

○ Providing development finance in the form of investment capital to the private sector to prioritize food security and catalyze the fulfillment of climate adaptation and mitigation goals.

● Proactively Countering the COVID-19 Pandemic’s Long-Term Effects: The pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on food security and is already undermining FTF gains. Specifically, efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, such as movement restrictions and market closures, combined with losses of incomes in many sectors, have not only disrupted access to food and compromised nutrition, but have also eliminated jobs and shut down entire sections of economies, including agriculture.13

According to a World Bank estimate, COVID-19 pushed 97 million people into extreme poverty14 15 in 2020, in addition to the 640 million people who were already living on less than $1.90 per day. An additional 9.3 million to 13.6 million children are suffering from wasting, and 2.6 million to 3.6 million more children are suffering from stunting. Furthermore, COVID-19 is deepening the gender poverty gap as women’s livelihoods are disproportionately affected.16 Recent evidence shows that inequality is the most powerful explanation of different death rates from COVID-19.17 This is expected to persist beyond 2021.18 In addition to the immediate health repercussions of COVID-19 and its burden on overwhelmed health systems, the secondary effects of COVID-19 include disruptions to the key components of the food system that allow for continuous, sustainable access to nutritious foods—farms, markets and trade, processors, and service providers. When these systems

13 USAID. Feed the Future. (2021). Feed the Future’s Response to COVID-19. https://cg-281711fb-71ea-422c-b02c-ef79f539e9d2.s3.us-gov-west-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/02/COVID-19-Fact-Sheet-Feed-the-Future.pdf 14 Defined by the World Bank as living on less than $1.90 per day.

15 World Bank. (2021). Updated estimates of the impact of COVID-19 on global poverty: Turning the corner on the pandemic in 2021? https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/updated-estimates-impact-covid-19-global-poverty-turning-corner-pandemic-2021 16 UN Women. (2020). Press release: COVID-19 will widen poverty gap between women and men, new UN Women and UNDP data shows. https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/8/press-release-covid-19-will-widen-poverty-gap-between-women-and-men 17 Elgar, F., Stefaniak, A. & Wohl, M. (2020). The trouble with trust: Time-series analysis of social capital, income inequality, and COVID-19 deaths in 84 countries. Social Science & Medicine, 263(113365). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113365 18 World Bank Blogs. (June 2021). Updated estimates of the impact of COVID-19 on global poverty: Turning the corner on the pandemic in 2021? https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/updated-estimates-impact-covid-19-global-poverty-turning-corner-pandemic-2021 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113365 https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/8/press-release-covid-19-will-widen-poverty-gap-between-women-and-men https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/updated-estimates-impact-covid-19-global-poverty-turning-corner-pandemic-2021 https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/COVID-19-Fact-Sheet_Feed-the-Future.pdf https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/updated-estimates-impact-covid-19-global-poverty-turning-corner are broken, communities are increasingly vulnerable not only during a pandemic or global disruption, but also for years afterward. We are positioned to accelerate recovery from COVID-19 setbacks by helping restore and improve functioning food production and market systems that support strengthened livelihoods and incomes; provide affordable, safe, and nutritious food for all; and are more resilient to shocks and stresses.19 Improvements include increased commitments of development finance to inject liquidity and investment to revive these market and production systems, greater use of digital technology, and safer marketing and production practices that increase biosecurity and lessen the future potential emergence of threats associated with agriculture and food. All of this depends on strong public-sector commitment and leadership at the national, regional, and local government levels. We will work hand in hand with market and community actors to support market, health, and education recovery from COVID-19, as well as supporting other critical systems.

● Working Across the Food System: Since the drafting of the first GFSS in 2016, global recognition of a “food systems” approach has emerged, including through work by the UN Committee on Food Security and the UN Food Systems Summit. A food systems approach takes into account the many integrated parts of food’s journey from farm to table. The FY 2017-2021 GFSS, through its three Objectives, reflects how FTF has worked across the food system, not just in particular value chains or market systems. Going forward, the updated GFSS and FTF investments will support greater integration across the three Objectives by enhancing the production, affordability, and marketing of nutritious foods that reduce malnutrition and improve diet quality, helping to counter negative dietary transitions associated with rising obesity and diet-related diseases. Further, a food systems approach offers a comprehensive tool to address climate change, water and natural resource management, and other environmental and social dimensions of the FTF portfolio. The updated GFSS further highlights the importance of cultivating an enabling policy environment, as policy has the power to affect systemic change. FTF investments position the USG to work hand in hand with partner governments and key stakeholders to ensure food systems sustain the GFSA’s focus on ending extreme poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.

● Integration of Conflict Mitigation, Peacebuilding, and Social Cohesion: Hunger is on the rise for the first time in decades, with conflict emerging as a key driver. Nearly every country in a protracted food crisis was also engaged in violent conflict in 2019,20 and over the past four years conflict has become one of the largest drivers of food crises worldwide, especially in countries affected by major crises and where there is a confluence of conflict and climate shocks.21 Much of our food-security programming takes place in areas characterized by tension among and within social and socioeconomic groups, social marginalization, and in some cases, outright violence. All of these

19 USAID. (2021). Agricultural Productivity, Growth, Resilience, and Economic Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa.

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/BIFAD_Agricultural_Productivity_Growth_Resilience_and_Economic_Transfor mation_in_Sub-Saharan_Africa_Brief_March_2021_3_1.pdf 20 Intergovernmental Authority on Development. (2020). Global Report on Food Crises.

GRFC_2020_ONLINE_200420.pdf (igad.int) 21 Food Security Information Network reports. (2016-2020). Global Report on Food Crises.

https://www.fsinplatform.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/GRFC_2019-Key_Messages-EN.pdf 2020: Ibid.

2019: https://www.fsinplatform.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/IGAD%202019%20online.pdf 2018:https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/WFP-0000069227/download/?_ga=2.218157145.1517513090.1626359822- 1455967985.1626359822 2017: https://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/ena/wfp291271.pdf?_ga=2.43927333.1044725417.1630611093- 268044032.1630611093 https://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/ena/wfp291271.pdf?_ga=2.43927333.1044725417.1630611093 https://www.fsinplatform.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/IGAD%202019%20online.pdf https://www.fsinplatform.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/GRFC_2019-Key_Messages-EN.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/BIFAD_Agricultural_Productivity_Growth_Resilience_and_Economic_Transfor https://shocks.21 factors mutually affect each other, requiring an approach that addresses internal power dynamics and enables local actors to create their own solutions. In fact, in areas characterized by food insecurity-related conflict, we must integrate the tools brought by our humanitarian, development, and social-cohesion programming in a holistic approach. Therefore, integrating the social, political, and local dynamics within our programming is integral to supporting linkages and coordination between humanitarian and development programming that improve food security and nutrition outcomes and build resilience.22

22 BIFAD. (2019). Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations, BIFAD 180th Public Meeting, Agriculture and Food Security in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Contexts, October 19, 2019. https://www.usaid.gov/bifad/documents/bifad-findings-conclusions-and-recommendations-agriculture-and-food-security-fragile-and https://www.usaid.gov/bifad/documents/bifad-findings-conclusions-and https://resilience.22

Acronyms and Abbreviations AfCFTA African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement BHA Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (within the U.S. Agency for International

Development) BIFAD Board for International Food and Agricultural Development C2M2 Cities’ COVID-19 Mitigation Mapping CAADP Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme CBJ Congressional Budget Justification CC Cross-Cutting CDR Climate Data Record CGIAR Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research CPO Climate Program Office (within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration) DDL Development Data Library DEIA Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility DFC U.S. International Development Finance Corporation DOC U.S. Department of Commerce DRG Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance EB/AGP Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, Office of Agricultural Policy (within the

U.S. Department of State) ECOSOC Economic and Social Council FAO Food and Agriculture Organization FEWS NET Famine Early Warning Systems Network FIT Finance, Investment, and Trade Practice Group (within the Millennium Challenge

Corporation) FY Fiscal Year GAFSP Global Agricultural and Food Security Program GDP Gross Domestic Product GFSA Global Food Security Act GFSRS Global Food Security Research Strategy GFSS Global Food Security Strategy GHCN Global Historical Climate Network GHG Greenhouse Gas GSI Gender and Social Inclusion Practice Group (within the Millennium Challenge

Corporation) GWS U.S. Government Global Water Strategy HAACP Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points HCD Human and Community Development Practice Group (within the Millennium

Challenge Corporation) I&A Industry & Analysis Unit (within the U.S. Department of Commerce) IAF Inter-American Foundation ICOADS International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set ICT Information and Communication Technology IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development

INR/GGI Bureau for Intelligence and Research, Office of the Geographer and Global Issues (within the U.S. Department of State)

INR/GGI/HIU Bureau for Intelligence and Research, Office of the Geographer and Global Issues, Humanitarian Information Unit (within the U.S. Department of State)

IO/EDA Bureau of International Organizations Affairs, Office of Economic and Development Affairs (within the U.S. Department of State)

IR Intermediate Result ITA International Trade Administration (within the U.S. Department of Commerce) IUU Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated IWGR Interagency Working Group on Research LAE Land and Agricultural Economy Practice Group (within the Millennium Challenge

Corporation) LGBTQI+ Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Plus MCC Millennium Challenge Corporation MDB Multilateral Development Bank MEL Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning MNCH Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health MSI Minority-Serving Institution MSME Micro-, Small, and Medium Enterprise MUAC Mid-Upper Arm Circumference NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NESDIS National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (within the National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) NGO Non-Governmental Organization NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service (Within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration) NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (within the U.S. Department of

Commerce) NOS National Ocean Service (within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration) NWS National Weather Service (within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration) OAR Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (within the National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration) OCG Office of Consumer Goods (within the U.S. Department of Commerce) OES/ECW Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Office of

Conservation and Water (within the U.S. Department of State) OES/IHB Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Office of

International Health and Biodefense (within the U.S. Department of State) OES/OMC Bureau of Oceans, Environment, and Science, Office of Marine Conservation (within the U.S. Department of State) OPATS Office of Overseas Programming and Training Support (within the Peace Corps) OPEN Open, Public, Electronic and Necessary (Government Data Act) PC Peace Corps PCV Peace Corps Volunteer PEPFAR President’s Emergency Plan for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

Relief PMI President’s Malaria Initiative

R&D Research and Development R&D&E Research, Development, and Extension RFS Bureau for Resilience and Food Security (within the U.S. Agency for International

Development) RISE Resilience in the Sahel-Enhanced S/GFS Secretary’s Office of Global Food Security (within the U.S. Department of State) SBC Social and Behavior Change SDG Sustainable Development Goal SME Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises SPIGA Office of Strategic Partnerships and Intergovernmental Affairs (within the Peace

Corps) SPS Sanitary and Phytosanitary STEM Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math STI Science, Technology, and Innovation TVS Transportation and Vertical Structures Practice Group (within the Millennium

Challenge Corporation) UN United Nations UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund USADF United States African Development Foundation USAID United States Agency for International Development USDA United States Department of Agriculture USG U.S. government USGS U.S. Geological Survey USTR United States Trade Representative WASH Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene WDMP Water Demand Management and Productivity Activity WFP World Food Programme WHO World Health Organization WRM Water Resources Management WSI Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation Practice Group (within the Millennium Challenge

Corporation) ZOI Zone of Influence

1. The Global Context Unprecedented Challenges and Tremendous Opportunities Born out of a global food crisis, FTF is poised to meet today’s global crises: COVID-19, conflict, increasing inequity, and climate. Since FTF’s inception in 2010, the USG has united partners globally to solve the root causes of poverty, hunger, and malnutrition by working with local actors to support and catalyze change. With more than a decade of implementation, the USG interagency community has the capacity to build resilient food systems through inclusive agricultural-led growth.23 Recent evidence from the World Bank, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and elsewhere confirms that in low-income countries, agricultural growth is up to four times more effective at reducing poverty than other forms of economic growth, across both rural and urban settings. The FY 2022-2026 GFSS outlines a common results framework along with evidence-based approaches to address the unprecedented challenges of our time. We are launching a new era of action to break the cycle of poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.

The Inclusive Development Imperative Globally, after many years of income gains, the number of people experiencing extreme poverty is on the rise.

COVID-19 has accelerated this trend, especially for women and those who are already poor or marginalized.

Climate change and conflict are contributing to increased inequality.24 Economic slowdowns or downturns disproportionally undermine food security and nutrition where inequalities are greater. Income inequality increases the likelihood of severe food insecurity, and this effect is 20% higher for low-income countries compared with middle-income countries.25 The USG is committed to inclusive development, which is the concept that every person, regardless of their identity, is instrumental in the transformation of their own societies. Economic linkages that spur pro-poor economic growth can create employment for the landless and others with little or no assets. Efforts include reaching, benefitting, and empowering women, girls, and youth.

Inclusive agricultural-led economic growth creates job opportunities for many, including women and youth (who represent around 70% of the national populations where FTF works), and other marginalized and underrepresented groups.

In referring to marginalized and underrepresented groups in the strategy, such groups may include, but are not limited to women and girls; persons with disabilities; LGBTQI+ people; displaced persons;

migrants; Indigenous peoples and communities; youth; older persons; religious minorities; ethnic and racial groups; people in lower castes; and people of diverse economic classes and political opinions. These groups often suffer from discrimination in the application of laws and policy and/or access to resources, services, and social protection and may be subject to persecution, harassment, and/or violence. In some instances, youth in particular can lead and benefit from economic opportunities in a range of service and marketing jobs, where their technological capacity, numeracy, and connectivity skills make them highly competitive.

While approaches are often context specific, gender inequity stands out as a priority gap in essentially every setting where FTF works.

23 USAID. (2021). Agricultural Productivity, Growth, Resilience, and Economic Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa.

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/BIFAD_Agricultural_Productivity_Growth_Resilience_and_Economic_Transfor mation_in_Sub-Saharan_Africa_Brief_March_2021_3_1.pdf 24 World Bank. (2020). Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2020: Reversals of Fortune.

https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/poverty-and-shared-prosperity 25 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2019). State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World.

http://www.fao.org/3/ca5162en/ca5162en.pdf http://www.fao.org/3/ca5162en/ca5162en.pdf https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/poverty-and-shared-prosperity https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/BIFAD_Agricultural_Productivity_Growth_Resilience_and_Economic_Transfor

In the context of resilience, we also reference vulnerability to shocks and stresses and increased exposure to risk. This means that all people, especially marginalized and underrepresented groups, may be vulnerable to a variety of shocks and stresses or conditions, or reside in geographic locations that affect their abilities to mitigate and manage risk without compromising their well-being in the face of shocks and stresses.

There is a strong relationship between gender-based inequalities and food insecurity at the household and community levels. Indeed, to reach food and nutrition security for all, it is essential that agriculture; water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH); and nutrition policies and programs create conditions that advance gender equality and female empowerment. Research shows that investments in inclusion are crucial to support sustainable and broad economic growth, particularly as it relates to gender equality and women’s empowerment. As measured by the groundbreaking Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index launched by FTF in 2012, we observed dramatic increases in women’s empowerment related to agriculture (such as input into productive decisions, ownership of assets, and decisions on credit), including a 31% increase in Bangladesh and a nearly 20% increase in Nepal.26

Inclusive development also means inclusive policy systems. If the policy system is overwhelmingly representative of one group of actors or lacking representation from another, the former may have more sway over which policies emerge and who benefits from their implementation. An inclusive policy system enables all persons’ voices to be heard in the formulation and implementation of development policies and approaches.

An inclusive development approach across all sectors challenges discrimination and other societal barriers that limit access to economic opportunities, development benefits, legal protections, and social participation.

It adheres to the principles of “Do no harm” and “Do nothing about them without them.” This includes supporting local capacity development through mutually beneficial partnerships with local actors and ensuring those whose lives are affected by decisions have a meaningful role to play in the making of those decisions. Moreover, proactively addressing inclusivity drives the achievement of every other GFSS objective by overcoming the factors excluding communities from improved productivity, incomes, nutrition, and resilience.

Do no harm: We must ensure that our work does not put any individual or group at increased risk of harm.

Do nothing about them without them: Consult with local actors to understand their needs and priorities and the local context.

An Accelerating Climate Crisis The climate crisis poses an enormous threat to global food security. Higher temperatures stress crops, livestock, and the ability of people to perform agricultural labor. Greater rainfall variability generates more extreme droughts and floods, rising sea levels, and changes in water availability and quality. The changing climate is also contributing to the spread of pests and diseases and threatens the viability of food and agriculture systems from production and storage to processing and distribution. This also affects the ecosystems and natural resources on which those systems depend, with consequences for environmental

26 Feed the Future used an abbreviated version of the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index in its population-based survey.

sustainability; production; availability of affordable, safe, and nutritious food and diets; safe drinking water;

and sanitation services, all of which contribute to profitable, stable, and equitable livelihoods. The burden of climate change is borne disproportionately by poor rural populations that often depend on rainfed agriculture, fisheries, pastures, and rangeland, and who have limited economic options and safety nets. People who are marginalized due to their gender, age, ability, or other aspect of their identity will almost certainly face an increase in vulnerability from the impacts of climate change. Progress toward the goals of the GFSS is possible if countries, with the support of the development community and relevant private-sector actors, meaningfully tackle adaptation to climate change and the long-term mitigation of GHG emissions. The GFSS, in alignment with FTF department and agency climate strategies, seeks to guide the USG’s global food-security investments in ways that will accelerate progress toward resilience and food security.

While the food system is a driver of the climate crisis, it can also be a solution. It is estimated that 75% of emissions from land-use change are generated by the expansion of agriculture in the developing world, resulting in deforestation or degradation of other carbon-rich ecosystems. Most of the hot spots for land conversion and forest loss are outside the FTF zones, but many tools, technologies, and approaches utilized in FTF produce sizable climate gains. Reducing emissions and emissions intensity, enhancing carbon storage in soils and agricultural tree cover, and many other climate-smart innovations are an essential part of the immediate and long-term strategy to reduce global GHGs. Food loss and waste is also a major contributor. To meet the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement and avoid the worst climate outcomes, it is essential to dramatically reduce GHG emissions from the global food and agriculture system, avoiding extensification and resulting land conversion, while increasing carbon storage through use of conservation agriculture, perennial crops, agroforestry, improved soil and water management, and other climate-smart practices. The GFSS positions the USG to work with countries and other partners to address these challenges head-on.

COVID-19 Increasing Poverty and Extreme Poverty, Food Insecurity, Malnutrition, and Inequality The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to erase years of food-security progress. As a result of the pandemic, extreme poverty is rising globally for the first time in two decades, while global inequality is also on the rise.

The latest estimate from the World Bank is that in 2020, the pandemic pushed up to 97 million additional people into poverty.27 These impacts from poverty are likely to persist for many years. By 2022, there could be 9.3 to 13.6 million additional children under 5 with wasting (47 million reported in 2019), and 168,000 to 283,000 additional under-5 deaths.28 Diet quality is degrading as a result of increased food prices, constrained incomes, and other pandemic disruptions, including limited access to nutritious food. Global food prices have risen 30% since January 2020, leaving a projected 220 million more people unable to afford a healthy diet.29 30

The Water Crisis

27 World Bank Blogs. (2021). Updated estimates of the impact of COVID-19 on global poverty: Looking back at 2020 and the outlook for 2021. https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/updated-estimates-impact-covid-19-global-poverty-looking-back-2020-and-outlook- 28 Osendarp, S., Akuoku, J.K., Black, R.E. et al. The COVID-19 crisis will exacerbate maternal and child undernutrition and child mortality in low- and middle-income countries. Nat Food 2, 476–484 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00319-4 29 World Bank Briefs. (2021). Food Security and COVID-19. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/agriculture/brief/food-security-and-covid-19 30 Nature. (2021). COVID-19 pandemic leads to greater depth of unaffordability of healthy and nutrient-adequate diets in low- and middle-income countries. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-021-00323-8 https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-021-00323-8 https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/agriculture/brief/food-security-and https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00319-4 https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/updated-estimates-impact-covid-19-global-poverty-looking-back-2020-and-outlook

Our shared climate crisis is accompanied by a significant water crisis. Addressing water insecurity is an increasingly vital component of ensuring that food and agricultural systems are building resilience in the face of climate change and other stresses and shocks.