On December 10, the House approved, by voice vote, the Global Food Security Act (H.R. 5656). The House Foreign Affairs Committee approved the bill on November 20.
Sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), the bill would authorize federal assistance to address global poverty and hunger in developing countries. Such assistance would follow a strategic approach that, among other provisions, prioritizes the dual objectives of “increasing agricultural productivity, income, and economic growth, with a strong emphasis on small-scale producers; and improving nutrition, especially of women and children,” and focuses “on women’s economic empowerment and nutrition.” The bill would require that the assistance provided “maintain an emphasis on…supporting women farmers.”
The legislation would require the president, acting through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to report to Congress on the progress made under the bill, including women’s economic empowerment” and “global and multilateral programs.”
