Obama Urges G8 to Next Step in World Food Security

The alliance grows out of an agreement signed by about 40 states and international organizations in 2009 at a G8 summit in L’Aquila, Italy. That agreement was accompanied by commitments of more than $20 billion to establish the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program at the World Bank.

More than 30 African nations have created country plans and investment programs for expanding their agriculture sectors through the World Bank program, according to White House Deputy National Security Advisor Mike Froman, who gave reporters a preview of the alliance proposals in a May 17 briefing.

“We’ve seen real progress,” Froman said. “Agriculture productivity growth in our own target Feed the Future countries is eight times that of the global average.” Feed the Future is a related Obama administration priority, investing $3.5 billion in food security development in 20 nations ranging across Central America, Africa and South Asia.