Recommendations
The United States has played an integral role in mobilizing
both political will and resources to bolster food security. The
2012 G-8 Summit provides an extraordinary opportunity for
the U.S. administration to make the case for coordinated agricultural development and highlight the U.S. commitment to
achieving global food security. The leadership of the United
States in making investments in food security can leverage
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CRS
come at a cost to the environment
and contribute to climate change,
because land, water, and non-renewable resources such as fertilizer
and energy are used to produce,
process, handle, and transport food
that no one consumes.
Significant volumes of grain in
developing countries are lost after
harvest. Technical causes may include inadequate harvesting methods, handling procedures, drying
techniques, and moisture levels;
types of storage or lack thereof;
contamination; and attacks by
pests, insect damage, and infestation by food-borne pathogens.
Governance-related causes include
poor sales, procurement, storage,
marketing, and distribution policies or practices; absence of
mechanisms for dealing with cash flow needs, such as warehouse receipts systems; mismanagement in handling grain
stocks and associated financing; or difficulty in dealing with
the ownership, control, and payment aspects of grain storage
and price stabilization programs.
In most low-income countries, particularly in Africa, postharvest losses in cereal quantity and quality lead to lower
earnings at the market and less nutritional value for family meals. They may even cause serious illness if a person
consumes grain contaminated with