Yesterday, the ONE blog featured a post about coffee farmers in Ethiopia from the ONE and Product (RED) trip to Africa. Our delegation saw first hand how agriculture can encourage economic growth in Ethiopia. This morning at “Coffee with Claire,” I made sure that Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill understood the importance of funding improvements in agriculture infrastructure in developing countries.

Every Thursday, the senator invites her Missouri constituents visiting DC to her office for a cup of joe. She talks about legislation she is working on and answers questions. After the discussion, I gave her 26 handwritten letters that students at Webster University wrote asking her to co-sponsor the Global Food Security Act (S. 384). I also asked her to rally support for President Obama’s $1.4 billion appropriations request for agriculture.

In the discussion the senator mentioned the struggles she faces when deciding on legislation. She says sometimes it is difficult to weigh the positives and negatives of each side.

When it comes to weighing appropriations for agriculture, the scale is tipped. Nearly one billion people go to bed hungry each night and malnourishment is the underlying cause of death for 3.5 million children each year. As ONE members it is up to us to make sure Congress creates a lasting solution to hunger by investing in agriculture.

-Nick Stevens, ONE intern and founder of ONE Webster