22 USC 9308 - Rule of construction

Collapse to view only § 9308. Rule of construction

§ 9301. Findings
§ 9302. Statement of policy objectives; sense of Congress
§ 9303. Definitions
§ 9304. Comprehensive Global Food Security Strategy
§ 9305. Assistance to implement the Global Food Security Strategy
§ 9306. Emergency Food Security Program
§ 9307. Reports
§ 9308. Rule of construction

§ 9301. Findings

Congress finds that a comprehensive approach to sustainable food and nutrition security should not only respond to emergency food shortages, but should also address malnutrition, resilience to food and nutrition insecurity, building the capacity of poor, rural populations to improve their agricultural productivity and incomes, removing institutional impediments to agricultural development, value chain access and efficiency, including processing and storage, enhancing agribusiness development, access to markets and activities that address the specific needs and barriers facing women and small-scale producers, education, and collaborative research.

(Pub. L. 114–195, § 2, July 20, 2016, 130 Stat. 675; Pub. L. 117–263, div. E, title LV, § 5588(a), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 3375.)

§ 9302. Statement of policy objectives; sense of Congress

(a) Statement of policy objectivesIt is in the national interest of the United States to promote global food security, resilience, and nutrition, consistent with national food security investment plans, which is reinforced through comprehensive, multi-sectoral programs, activities, and initiatives that consider agriculture and food systems in their totality and that—

(1) place food insecure countries on a path toward self-sufficiency, economic freedom, and security through the phasing, sequencing, and coordination of United States foreign assistance programs;

(2) accelerate inclusive, agricultural-led economic growth that reduces global poverty, hunger, and malnutrition, particularly among women and children;

(3) increase the productivity, incomes, and livelihoods of small-scale producers and artisanal fishing communities, especially women in these communities, by working across terrestrial and aquatic food systems and agricultural value chains, including by—

(A) enhancing local capacity to manage agricultural resources and food systems effectively and expanding producer access to, and participation in, local, regional, and international markets;

(B) increasing the availability and affordability of high quality nutritious and safe foods and clean water;

(C) creating entrepreneurship opportunities and improving access to business development related to agriculture and food systems, including among youth populations, linked to local, regional, and international markets; and

(D) enabling partnerships to facilitate the development of and investment in new agricultural technologies to support more resilient and productive agricultural practices;

(4) build resilience to agriculture and food systems shocks and stresses, including global food catastrophes in which conventional methods of agriculture are unable to provide sufficient food and nutrition to sustain the global population, among vulnerable populations and households through inclusive growth, while reducing reliance upon emergency food and economic assistance;

(5) create an enabling environment for agricultural growth and investment, including through the promotion of secure and transparent property rights;

(6) improve the nutritional status of women, adolescent girls, and children, with a focus on reducing child stunting and incidence of wasting, including through the promotion of highly nutritious foods, diet diversification, large-scale food fortification, and nutritional behaviors that improve maternal and child health and nutrition, especially during the first 1,000-day window until a child reaches 2 years of age;

(7) demonstrably meet, align with and leverage broader United States strategies and investments in trade, economic growth, national security, combating fragility, resilience, science and technology, natural resource management 1

1 So in original. Probably should be followed by a comma.

agriculture research and extension, maternal and child health, nutrition,,2

2 So in original.

including deworming, and water, sanitation, and hygiene;

(8) continue to strengthen partnerships between United States-based universities, including land-grant colleges, and universities and institutions in target countries and communities that build agricultural capacity; and

(9) ensure the effective use of United States taxpayer dollars to further these objectives.

(b) Sense of CongressIt is the sense of the Congress that the President, in providing assistance to implement the Global Food Security Strategy, should—

(1) coordinate, through a whole-of-government approach, the efforts of relevant Federal departments and agencies to implement the Global Food Security Strategy;

(2) seek to fully utilize the unique capabilities of each relevant Federal department and agency while collaborating with and leveraging the contributions of other key stakeholders; and

(3) utilize open and streamlined solicitations to allow for the participation of a wide range of implementing partners through the most appropriate procurement mechanisms, which may include grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and other instruments as necessary and appropriate.

(Pub. L. 114–195, § 3, July 20, 2016, 130 Stat. 676; Pub. L. 117–263, div. E, title LV, § 5588(b), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 3375.)

§ 9303. Definitions

In this chapter:

(1) Appropriate congressional committees

The term “appropriate congressional committees” means—

(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;

(B) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate;

(D) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives;

(E) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives; and

(F) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.

(2) Feed the Future Innovation Labs

(3) Food and nutrition security

(4) Food system

(5) Global Food Security Strategy

(6) Key stakeholders

The term “key stakeholders” means actors engaged in efforts to advance global food security programs and objectives, including—

(A) relevant Federal departments and agencies;

(B) national and local governments in target countries;

(D) international and regional organizations;

(E) international, regional, and local financial institutions;

(F) international, regional, and local private voluntary, nongovernmental, faith-based, and civil society organizations;

(G) the private sector, including agribusinesses and relevant commodities groups;

(H) local agricultural producers, including farmer and fisher organizations, cooperatives, small-scale producers, youth, and women; and

(I) agricultural research and academic institutions, including land-grant universities and extension services.

(7) Malnutrition

(8) Relevant Federal departments and agencies

(9) Resilience

(10) Small-scale producer

(11) Stunting

The term “stunting” refers to a condition that—

(A) is measured by a height-to-age ratio that is more than 2 standard deviations below the median for the population;

(B) manifests in children who are younger than 2 years of age;

(C) is a process that can continue in children after they reach 2 years of age, resulting in an individual being “stunted”;

(D) is a marker of an environment deficient in the various needs that allow for a child’s healthy growth, including nutrition; and

(E) is associated with long-term poor health, delayed motor development, impaired cognitive function, and decreased immunity.

(12) Sustainable

(13) Target country

(14) Wasting

The term “wasting” means—

(A) a life-threatening condition attributable to poor nutrient intake or disease that is characterized by a rapid deterioration in nutritional status over a short period of time; and

(B) in the case of children, is characterized by low weight for height and weakened immunity, increasing their risk of death due to greater frequency and severity of common infection, particularly when severe.

(Pub. L. 114–195, § 4, July 20, 2016, 130 Stat. 676; Pub. L. 115–254, div. F, title VI, § 1470(s), Oct. 5, 2018, 132 Stat. 3519; Pub. L. 117–263, div. E, title LV, § 5588(c), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 3376.)

§ 9304. Comprehensive Global Food Security Strategy

(a) Strategy

(1) set specific and measurable goals, benchmarks, timetables, performance metrics, and monitoring and evaluation plans that reflect international best practices relating to transparency, accountability, food and nutrition security, and agriculture-led economic growth, consistent with the policy objectives described in section 9302(a) of this title;

(2) establish clear and transparent selection criteria for target countries, communities, regions, and intended beneficiaries of assistance;

(3) describe the methodology and criteria for the selection of target countries;

(4) support and be aligned with partner country-led agriculture, nutrition, regulatory, food security, and water resources management policy and investment plans and governance systems developed with input from key stakeholders, as appropriate;

(5) support the locally-led and inclusive development of agriculture and food systems, including by enhancing the extent to which small-scale food producers, especially women, have access to and control over the inputs, skills, resource management capacity, networking, bargaining power, financing, market linkages, technology, and information needed to sustainably increase productivity and incomes, reduce poverty and malnutrition, and promote long-term economic prosperity;

(6) support improvement of the nutritional status of women, adolescent girls, and children, particularly during the critical first 1,000-day window until a child reaches 2 years of age and with a focus on reducing child stunting and preventing incidence of wasting, through nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programs, including related water, sanitation, and hygiene programs;

(7) facilitate communication and collaboration, as appropriate, among local stakeholders in support of a multi-sectoral approach to food and nutrition security, to include analysis of the multiple underlying causes of malnutrition, including poor water resource management and lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene;

(8) support long-term impact by building the capacity of local organizations and institutions, including agricultural research capacity, in target countries and communities;

(9) coordinate with and complement relevant strategies to ensure that chronically vulnerable populations are better able to adapt, build safety nets, secure livelihoods, access markets, and access opportunities for longer-term economic growth;

(10) develop community and producer resilience and adaptation strategies to disasters, emergencies, and other shocks and stresses to food and nutrition security, including conflicts, droughts, flooding, pests, and diseases, that adversely impact agricultural yield and livelihoods;

(11) harness science, technology, and innovation, including the research and extension activities supported by the private sector, relevant Federal departments and agencies, Feed the Future Innovation Labs or any successor entities, and international and local researchers and innovators, recognizing that significant investments in research and technological advances will be necessary to reduce global poverty, hunger, and malnutrition;

(12) use evidenced-based best practices, including scientific and forecasting data, and improved planning and coordination by, with, and among key partners and relevant Federal departments and agencies to identify, analyze, measure, and mitigate risks, and strengthen resilience capacities;

(13) ensure scientific and forecasting data is accessible and usable by affected communities and facilitate communication and collaboration among local stakeholders in support of adaptation planning and implementation, including scenario planning and preparedness using seasonal forecasting and scientific and local knowledge;

(14) integrate agricultural development activities among food insecure populations living in proximity to designated national parks or wildlife areas into wildlife conservation efforts, as necessary and appropriate;

(15) leverage resources and expertise through partnerships with the private sector, farm organizations, cooperatives, civil society, nongovernmental organizations, including faith-based organizations, and agricultural research and academic institutions;

(16) strengthen and expand collaboration and coordination, as appropriate, between United States universities, including public, private, and land-grant universities, with higher education institutions in target countries to increase their effectiveness and relevance to promote agricultural development and innovation through the creation of human capital, innovation, and cutting edge science in the agricultural sector;

(17) seek to ensure that target countries and communities respect and promote land tenure rights of local communities, particularly those of women and small-scale producers;

(18) include criteria and methodologies for graduating target countries and communities from assistance provided to implement the Global Food Security Strategy as such countries and communities meet the progress benchmarks identified pursuant to section 9307(a)(4) of this title;

(19) improve the efficiency and resilience of agricultural production, including management of crops, rangelands, pastures, livestock, fisheries, and aquacultures;

(20) ensure investments in food and nutrition security consider and integrate best practices in the management and governance of natural resources and conservation, especially among food insecure populations living in or near biodiverse ecosystems;

(21) be periodically updated in a manner that reflects learning and best practices; and

(22) demonstrably support the United States national security and economic interest in the countries where assistance is being provided.

(b) Coordination

The President shall coordinate, through a whole-of-government approach, the efforts of relevant Federal departments and agencies in the implementation of the Global Food Security Strategy by—

(1) establishing monitoring and evaluation systems, coherence, and coordination across relevant Federal departments and agencies;

(2) establishing linkages with other initiatives and strategies of relevant Federal departments and agencies; and

(3) establishing platforms for regular consultation and collaboration with key stakeholders and the appropriate congressional committees.

(1) In general

(2) Agency-specific plans

The Global Food Security Strategy shall include specific implementation plans from each relevant Federal department and agency that describes—

(A) the anticipated contributions of the department or agency, including technical, financial, and in-kind contributions, to implement the Global Food Security Strategy; and

(B) the efforts of the department or agency to ensure that the activities and programs carried out pursuant to the strategy are designed to achieve maximum impact and long-term sustainability.

(d) Periodic updates

(Pub. L. 114–195, § 5, July 20, 2016, 130 Stat. 678; Pub. L. 117–263, div. E, title LV, § 5588(d), (e), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 3377, 3378.)

§ 9305. Assistance to implement the Global Food Security Strategy

(a) Food shortages

(b) Authorization of appropriations

(Pub. L. 114–195, § 6, July 20, 2016, 130 Stat. 680; Pub. L. 115–266, § 2(a), Oct. 11, 2018, 132 Stat. 3755; Pub. L. 117–263, div. E, title LV, § 5588(f), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 3378.)

§ 9306. Emergency Food Security Program

It shall be the policy of the United States, in coordination with other donors, regional governments, international organizations, and international financial institutions, to fully leverage, enhance, and expand the impact and reach of available United States humanitarian resources, including for food assistance, to mitigate the effects of manmade and natural disasters by utilizing innovative new approaches to delivering aid that support affected persons and the communities hosting them, build resilience and early recovery, and reduce opportunities for waste, fraud, and abuse.

(Pub. L. 114–195, § 7, July 20, 2016, 130 Stat. 680; Pub. L. 117–263, div. E, title LV, § 5588(g)(1), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 3378.)

§ 9307. Reports

(a) Global Food Security Strategy implementation reportsFor each of the fiscal years through 2028, the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that describes the status of the implementation of the Global Food Security Strategy during the preceding year, which shall—

(1) contain a summary of the Global Food Security Strategy as an appendix;

(2) identify any substantial changes made in the Global Food Security Strategy during the preceding calendar year, including any changes to the target countries selected pursuant to the selection criteria described in section 9304(a)(2) of this title and justifications for any such changes;

(3) identify and describe the progress made in implementing the Global Food Security Strategy;

(4) identify and describe the priority quantitative metrics used to establish baselines and performance targets at the initiative, country, and zone of influence levels;

(5) identify such established baselines and performance targets at the country and zone of influence levels;

(6) identify the output and outcome benchmarks and indicators used to measure results annually, and report the annual measurement of results for each of the priority metrics identified pursuant to paragraph (4), disaggregated by age, gender, and disability, to the extent practicable and appropriate, in an open and transparent manner that is accessible to the people of the United States;

(7) describe related strategies and benchmarks for graduating target countries and communities from assistance provided under the Global Food Security Strategy over time, including by building resilience, reducing risk, and enhancing the sustainability of outcomes from United States investments in food and nutrition security;

(8) indicate how quantitative and qualitative findings from monitoring and evaluation were incorporated into program design and budget decisions at the initiative, country, and zone of influence levels, including longitudinal data and key uncertainties;

(9) contain a transparent, open, and detailed accounting of spending by relevant Federal departments and agencies to implement the Global Food Security Strategy, including, for each Federal department and agency, the statutory source of spending, amounts spent within target countries, amounts and justification for any spending outside of target countries, implementing partners and targeted beneficiaries, and activities supported to the extent practicable and appropriate;

(10) describe how the Global Food Security Strategy leverages other United States food security and development assistance programs on the continuum from emergency food aid through sustainable, agriculture-led economic growth and eventual self-sufficiency;

(11) describe the contributions of the Global Food Security Strategy to, and assess the impact of, broader international food and nutrition security assistance programs, including progress in the promotion of land tenure rights, creating economic opportunities for women and small-scale producers, and stimulating agriculture-led economic growth in target countries and communities;

(12) assess efforts to coordinate United States international food security and nutrition programs, activities, and initiatives with key stakeholders;

(13) assess United States Government-facilitated private investment in related sectors and efforts to encourage financial donor burden sharing and the impact of such investment and efforts in target countries and communities;

(14) describe how agriculture research is prioritized within the Global Food Security Strategy to support agriculture-led growth and eventual self-sufficiency and assess efforts to coordinate research programs within the Global Food Security Strategy with key stakeholders;

(15) identify any United States legal or regulatory impediments that could obstruct the effective implementation of the programming referred to in paragraphs (8) and (9); 1

1 See References in Text note below.

(16) contain a clear gender analysis of programming, to inform project-level activities, that includes established disaggregated gender indicators to better analyze outcomes for food productivity, income growth, control of assets, equity in access to inputs, jobs and markets, and nutrition;

(17) incorporate a plan for regularly reviewing and updating strategies, partnerships, and programs and sharing lessons learned, including key challenges or missteps, with a wide range of stakeholders in an open, transparent manner; and

(18) during the final year of each strategy required under section 9304 of this title, complete country graduation reports to determine whether a country should remain a target country based on quantitative and qualitative analysis.

(b) Global food security crosscut reportNot later than 120 days after the President submits the budget to Congress under section 1105(a) of title 31, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report including—

(1) an interagency budget crosscut report that—

(A) displays the budget proposed, including any planned interagency or intra-agency transfer, for each of the principal Federal agencies that carries out global food security activities in the upcoming fiscal year, separately reporting the amount of planned funding to be provided under existing laws pertaining to the global food security strategy to the extent available; and

(B) to the extent available, identifies all assistance and research expenditures at the account level in each of the five prior fiscal years by the Federal Government and United States multilateral commitments using Federal funds for global food security strategy activities;

(2) to the extent available, a detailed accounting of all assistance funding received and obligated by the principal Federal agencies identified in the report and United States multilateral commitments using Federal funds, for global food security activities during the current fiscal year; and

(3) a breakout of the proposed budget for the current and budget years by agency, categorizing expenditures by type of funding, including research, resiliency, and other food security activities to the extent that such information is available.

(Pub. L. 114–195, § 8, July 20, 2016, 130 Stat. 682; Pub. L. 115–266, § 3, Oct. 11, 2018, 132 Stat. 3755; Pub. L. 117–263, div. E, title LV, § 5588(h), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 3379.)

§ 9308. Rule of construction

(a) Effect on other programs

(b) Programs described

The programs referred to in subsection (a) are the following:

(1) The Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1691 et seq.).

(2) The Food for Progress Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1736o).

(3) Section 416(b) of the Agriculture 1

1 So in original. Probably should be “Agricultural”.

Act of 1949 (7 U.S.C. 1431).2

2 So in original. Probably should be “1431(b)).”

(4) McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program (7 U.S.C. 1736o–1).

(5) Local and Regional Procurement Program (7 U.S.C. 1726c).

(6) Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Act (7 U.S.C. 1736f–1).

(7) Any other food and nutrition security and emergency and non-emergency food assistance program of the Department of Agriculture.

(Pub. L. 114–195, § 9, July 20, 2016, 130 Stat. 684.)