Last week, the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa hosted a panel discussion on their recently released recommendations for the new U.S. Government Food Security Initiative. In the Partnership’s latest policy brief, “From Commitment to Action: A Demand-Driven Approach to Improving Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa,” the Partnership recommends a demand-driven, African-owned framework in which to provide foreign assistance funding and programming to increase agricultural productivity.

The panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Julie Howard, Executive Director of the Partnership, included Emmy Simmons, former USAID Assistant Administration for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade, Frank Young, Vice-President, International Development, Abt Associates, Mary Chambliss, Former Deputy Administrator at USDA, and Abdoulaye Diop, Ambassador of Mali to the United States.

The Partnership’s report advocates for five actions as the Food Security Initiative is designed:

• Promote country-led development, ensuring that U.S. support aligns with country-led initiatives.
• Maximize flexibility and transferability of funds with the creation of a “Food Security Fund,” a single-Congressionally-mandated fund that would offer a more simplified and flexible mechanism for food security assistance programs. Currently, there are numerous funding mechanisms each with their own rules, procedures, and implementation models. A single Food Security Fund would simplify these processes and offer assistance at a country and regional level.
• Look toward developing multi-year compacts for food security initiatives to be funded by the Food Security Fund.
• Make food security assistance available to regional organizations, not just individual countries.
• Prioritize local capacity and institution-building through the Food Security Compacts and implementing a results-oriented, learning approach.

In the robust discussion, participants stressed that the creation of the Food Security Initiative is the perfect opportunity to translate the commitment of aid into effective implementation, drawing on some of the tenants of foreign assistance reform. Panelists emphasized the importance of working in collaboration with African partners in order to ensure that these initiatives are successful. The discussion also touched on the necessity of increasing transparency and coordination between U.S-led initiatives. The sheer number of organizations and initiatives on the ground in developing countries, coupled with the lack of coordination among them, makes it difficult for recipient countries to implement strategies successfully. With emphasis on food security coming from the administration, the G8, and developing-country governments, it will be exciting to see how the U.S. Food Security Initiative takes shape.

Check out the full policy brief here.

-Pooja Gupta