About the Author: Tjada McKenna serves as the Deputy Coordinator for Development for Feed the Future, and Jonathan Shrier serves as the Acting Special Representative for Global Food Security and as the Deputy Coordinator for Diplomacy for Feed the Future.

In May 2012, we answered a few of the most common questions about the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition in the blog post Five Questions about the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition. This blog post follows with additional answers to other common questions about the New Alliance and progress.

1. What has happened with the New Alliance since the G8 announced it at the Camp David Summit in May 2012?

While it has only been a few months, we’re excited about the progress and momentum of the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, which is a unique partnership…more »

About the Author: Jonathan Shrier serves as Acting Special Representative for Global Food Security.

Today, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton co-hosted an event with President Joyce Banda of Malawi, to highlight both the progress made in the last three years under Feed the Future and the contributions of civil society organizations to advance our food security goals.

The highlight of the event was an extraordinary commitment by civil society organizations.

As Secretary Clinton said, “Today, I am pleased to announce a new commitment by civil society groups…InterAction, an alliance of 198 U.S.-based organizations, is pledging more than one billion dollars of private, non-government funds over the next three years to… more »

About the Author: David J. Lane serves as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies in Rome.

I have just returned from a thought-provoking visit to Niger, one of the largest countries in the Sahel — a region of Africa where close to 19 million people are at risk of severe food shortages.

Before I flew to Niger, I had expected the trip would leave me feeling depressed and hopeless. More than 3 million people in the country do not have access to sufficient food, and suffer — especially the children — from moderate to severe malnutrition. And for Niger, this is nothing new. For the third time in a decade, Niger is reeling from the repercussions of massive drought, this time compounded by high food and fuel costs, locust infestations, and conflict in bordering Mali.

But despite those dire statistics, I saw a more hopeful picture when I toured the country. Indeed, by the time I left Niger, I was filled with optimism and confidence in the multilateral… more »

About the Author: Joan Lewa serves with USAID/Kenya.

In Kenya, a group of young women are working collaboratively to put to use their knowledge of food and nutrition. The group is turning a profit while feeding themselves and their children by cultivating a shared urban farm in Mombasa.

The young mothers who make up the group knew from the staff at the local health clinic that consuming vegetables and legumes would improve their health and that of their infants. These foods, along with fruits, nuts, fish, dairy products, and whole grains are all excellent sources of key nutrients for breastfeeding mothers.

“You must eat nutritious foods if you want your child to have enough milk, the doctor would always say,” says Mary Were.

However, like so many young urban Kenyans, Mary and these mothers lacked both the money to purchase such nutritious foods and the land to grow it themselves.

… more »

About the Author: Jessica Hartl serves as a Information Officer in the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Food for Peace.

I recently traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to visit food assistance programs implemented by USAID’s Office of Food for Peace. My first impression of the Congo was the same feeling I had in Uganda when visiting projects there last year - why in countries so lush and ripe for agriculture were people so food insecure? Food insecurity is a complex issue, and for the DRC it includes key issues such as low productivity, lack of market access and infrastructure, ongoing conflict and poor nutrition practices.

As a country struggling to pull itself out of conflict, the DRC is a challenging environment to work in. Never mind the logistical challenges for our partners and staff: little infrastructure in program areas; communities… more »

Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Presidential Villa
Abuja, Nigeria
August 9, 2012

Well, thank you very much, Mr. President, and those were extremely kind and generous words. But I appreciate that you know how committed the United States and the Obama Administration is to our partnership with your country. We consider it absolutely vital, and through our bi-national commission, which, as you mentioned, has helped us to expand and deepen our cooperation on a full range of issues, we are working on economic matters, the improvement and the productivity of agriculture, education and health, security, the diversification of your economy, and so much more.

We intend to remain very supportive on your reform efforts. Thank you for mentioning the work we did together on the elections. We’re also very supportive of the anticorruption reform efforts, more transparency, and the work that you and your team is also championing, because we really believe that the future for Nigeria is limitless. But the most important task that you face, as you have said, is making sure that there are better opportunities for all Nigerians – north, south, east, west – every young boy and girl to have a chance to fulfill his or her God-given potential. And we want to work with you and we will be by your side as you make the reforms and take the tough decisions that are necessary. MORE. 

More: Trip Page | Interactive Travel Map

On August 5, 2012, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton traveled to Lilongwe, Malawi. During her visit, Secretary Clinton and President Joyce Banda discussedeconomic and political governance and reform.

The Secretary participated in an event for Camp GLOW, Peace Corps, and PEPFAR. Shesaid, “We believe strongly in the human potential of Malawi, because after all, those are the greatest treasures that any country has. Some countries may have oil or gold or diamonds, but the greatest… more »

About the Author: Eboni Bell serves as an Editorial Assistant for DipNote.

This week’s “Photo of the Week” comes to us from the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration and shows Assistant Secretary of State Anne C. Richard meeting with representatives of the Damba refugee camp in Burkina Faso. Assistant Secretary Richard is on travel to Burkina Faso and Geneva until August 4, 2012.

In Burkina Faso, Assistant Secretary Richard joined with UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres to review the situation of refugees from the crisis in Mali, which is taking place within the broader Sahel food insecurity… more »

About the Author: Nancy Lindborg serves as Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance at the U.S. Agency for International Development.

On July 20, 2011, I got a call from Dina Esposito, USAID’s Director of the Office of Food for Peace, alerting me of the official declaration of famine in Somalia. That moment, more than a year ago, is still deeply, vividly and painfully with me.

Famines are entirely man-made and have become increasingly rare. In my confirmation hearing, I quoted Amartya Sen’s famous words that famines don’t happen in democracies. So as the worst drought in 60 years gripped the Horn of Africa last year, it was only in Somalia, racked by 20 years of conflict and instability, and with limited access for humanitarian action, that famine was declared. The United States’ commitment and long-term work with Ethiopia, Kenya, and many of their neighbors have reduced… more »

About the Author: Karen Johnson is the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Rome, Italy, where she works with FAO and other UN agencies in Rome to support innovative and effective development projects.

It’s normal to think that food assistance is simply about keeping stomachs full. But, in fact, it’s far more complex than that. It’s also about empowering and enabling people to support themselves and their communities on a sustainable basis. A couple of weeks ago, I traveled to Zimbabwe and Mozambique to visit development projects supported by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in partnership with local authorities. It was there that I saw what a difference agricultural development efforts can make in people’s lives.

Women Take the Lead

It was clear to me that women play the key role in providing food and income to their families in both these countries. In the areas I visited, small-scale farmers are almost exclusively female. Many of the local men have moved to South Africa to work in mines, therefore women are the community leaders… more »