Raj Shah, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), described the Obama administration’s—and more broadly, civil society’s—efforts to fight global hunger as an “all hands on deck effort.”
He highlighted the Feed the Future program as President Obama’s landmark effort to fundamentally tackle global food insecurity. Shah emphasized that this program has been a key step to help lift millions from poverty, and been a critical piece of fighting poverty worldwide.
Fighting hunger encompasses three key areas: farm, market, and table. The goals, outlined by Shah, must be that “every farmer uses great seeds, every farming community is connected to markets, and every child has basic nutrition to grow and thrive.”
Much of the focus, says Shah, is on the farm and the market, which are both critical in achieving food security. However, Shah notes that long-term food security is not just defined by crop yields and access to markets, but includes humanitarian aid to the hungriest children and others in need.
