African Agricultural Technology Foundation/USAID
A farmer discusses the peformance of
a new variety of insect-resistant maize
planted on her farm in Kisumu, Kenya.
One reason is that the Ethiopian government has used its own resources and development assistance to help establish a “safety net” of
nutrition programs for people at risk of hunger. Another is that Feed
the Future is supporting programs to improve agriculture even in difficult environments. For example, the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia suffers from severe soil erosion and frequent droughts. A U.S.funded program to help small farmers improve their irrigation and
horticultural techniques is beginning to pay off. Girma, a 50-year-old
farmer, is one of those who built hillside terraces to prevent erosion
and dug wells to help irrigate crops.
It has brought better harvests. “Three years ago, there was not
enough water for drinking or irrigation,” Girma said. “Now with our
conservation methods… I can buy cereals for my family.”
Similarly, Leonard and Marion Manga, who live in central Kenya,
participate in the U.S.-funded Kilimo Hai (Swahili for Living Earth)
program, where farmers are learning techniques for trapping rainwater
and beginning to work with seeds that are treated to help control pests.
The United States can be proud of our history of successful programs to reduce global hunger, poverty, and disease, carried out under
widely different circumstances under presidents from both political parties,
and our recent efforts to make development assistance more effective to meet
new challenges and make lasting progress. In these ways, we are combining our
concern for others with our solid common sense to create solutions.
Further Thoughts
U.S. Bilateral and Multilateral Foreign Assistance
0.35
30,000
0.3
25,000
0.25
20,000
0.2
15,000
0.15
10,000
0.1
5,000
2008 USD Millions
35,000
0.05
0
90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09
0
Year
US total net ODA
US multilateral net ODA
Share of US net ODA through multilaterals (right axis)
Source: OECD, DAC.
14 Essay 2
n
Bread for the World Institute
Laura Elizabeth Pohl