President Obama unveiled a new food initiative aimed at increasing food security in developing African nations and lifting 50 million people out of poverty over the next decade.
He outlined the initiative on Friday, kicking off the weekend’s G-8 summit:
“The government cannot and should not do this alone. This has to be all hands on deck. Reducing malnutrition and hunger around the world advances international peace and security. As the wealthiest nation on earth, I believe the United States has a moral obligation to lead the fight against hunger and malnutrition. We have a self-interest in this. It’s a moral imperative, it’s an economic imperative, and it’s a security imperative.”
The initiative is called the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, and according to CBS News, aims to to build on a 2009 food security effort that resulted in $22 billion worth of pledges! The goal is to support innovation in the global agricultural research system, fast-track new agricultural projects, and speed up the development and delivery of innovation. It will also promote risk management to help communities avoid catastrophe in the face of instability.
President Obama says about 45 private sector companies from around the world have already committed to invest more than $3 billion to kick off the initiative.
“Communities can’t go back just to the way things were – vulnerable as before, waiting for the next crisis to happen. A change in prices or a single bad season should not plunge a family, community or a region into crisis. We can do this. We’re already doing it. We just need to bring it all together. We can unleash the change that reduces hunger and malnutrition. We can spark the kind of economic growth that lifts people and nations out of poverty. This is the new commitment that we’re making.”
Getty images
