Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ 4th), Betty McCollum (D-MN 4th) and Senators John Isakson (R-GA) and Bob Casey (D-PA) recently introduced the Global Food Security Act of 2015 in Congress. This bill will enhance Feed the Future, a critical global food and nutrition security program launched by President Obama in 2009.

Years of insufficient investments in agriculture, sustainable food production, and nutrition programs have exacerbated the global hunger crisis. In recognition of this deficit, the U.S. government has taken a leading role by investing in programs such as Feed the Future, which works with small holder farmers and local governments to increase their capacity for boosting production and availability of nutritious food.

The Global Food Security Act will enhance this Feed the Future program by:

• Instituting a comprehensive, cross-agency strategy to promote global food security;
• Strengthening existing monitoring and evaluation practices to ensure efficiency and accountability;
• Improving maternal and child nutrition, especially during the 1,000 days from pregnancy until a child is 2 years old;
• Ensuring transparency by strengthening oversight from Congress; and
• Engaging the expertise and resourcefulness of stakeholders, including faith-based organizations, to improve food production.

Food insecurity continues to be a major global challenge. A recent report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) shows that 805 million people around the world are chronically undernourished, and malnutrition rates remains dangerously high. While world hunger has dropped by over 100 million in the last decade, too many families remain hungry. As people of faith, we are encouraged to share our “daily bread” with the less fortunate among us. By so doing we are spreading the good news of God’s eternal and redeeming love.

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