{ "id": "R41072", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R41072", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 455790, "date": "2016-09-14", "retrieved": "2016-09-16T18:03:15.357687", "title": "U.S. International Food Aid Programs: Background and Issues", "summary": "For almost six decades, the United States has played a leading role in global efforts to alleviate hunger and malnutrition and to enhance world food security through international food assistance\u2014traditionally through either the donation or sale on concessional terms of U.S. agricultural commodities but in recent years also by direct cash transfers targeting emergency situations and by investing in host-country nutrition and agricultural development activities. \nHistorically, U.S. international food assistance has been distributed through four main program authorities: (1) the Food for Peace Act (FFPA, also known as P.L. 480); (2) the Section 416(b) program (which has been inactive since 2007); (3) the Food for Progress Act of 1985; and (4) the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. The Section 416(b) program is permanently authorized by the Agricultural Act of 1949. The other programs are reauthorized in periodic farm bills, most recently (through FY2018) by the 2014 farm bill. A common feature of these programs is that they rely primarily on U.S.-sourced commodities (i.e., in-kind food aid) for their operations. The 2014 farm bill (P.L. 113-79) added an additional permanent international food assistance program\u2014the Local and Regional Purchase (LRP) project\u2014but based on cash transfers to purchase commodities from markets near the source of international food need. Since 2010, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has also used its authority under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA) to initiate cash-based food assistance in response to international crises under the Emergency Food Security Program (EFSP) as a complement to FFPA Title II emergency in-kind food aid donations. In July 2016, EFSP was permanently authorized by the Global Food Security Act (P.L. 114-195). These six food assistance programs are administered either by the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) or USAID. \nSince FY2006, annual spending on U.S. international food assistance programs has averaged $2.5 billion, with FFPA Title II outlays averaging $1.8 billion (74%). Despite growth in cash-based assistance under EFSP, the United States continues to rely heavily on in-kind transfers of domestic commodities for international food aid. In contrast, most other countries operating international food aid programs have converted primarily to cash-based food assistance. U.S. reliance on in-kind food aid has become controversial due to its identified inefficiencies and potential market distortions compared with cash-based assistance. In addition to domestic sourcing, U.S. food aid is subject to a suite of legislative requirements that potentially limit the U.S. response to emergency food crises. These include minimum levels of non-emergency program funding; domestic processing, bagging, and packaging; monetization\u2014that is, the process of selling donated U.S. commodities in recipient-country markets to generate cash for development programs\u2014by eligible NGOs; and ocean shipping on U.S. registered vessels (referred to as cargo preference). The 2014 farm bill made modest changes to U.S. food aid programs. However, the past two Administrations\u2014that is, George W. Bush and Obama Administrations\u2014as well as certain Members of Congress, via bills in the 113th (H.R. 1983 and S. 2421) and 114th (S. 525) Congresses, have proposed making more significant changes to the structure and intent of U.S. food aid programs. Proposed changes include, among others, expanding flexibility in the use of cash-based forms of assistance and eliminating both cargo preference and monetization.\nIn addition to its food assistance activities, the United States provides funding for investment in international food security programs under the Global Food Security Act (GFSA, P.L. 114-195). The GFSA represents a codification of the previous Feed the Future program. This report focuses on U.S. international food assistance activities, including the EFSP. The GFSA and its predecessor\u2014Feed the Future\u2014are discussed in CRS Report R44216, The Obama Administration\u2019s Feed the Future Initiative.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R41072", "sha1": "e99c7e8e21500dbbc27ac634fec32b2190766329", "filename": "files/20160914_R41072_e99c7e8e21500dbbc27ac634fec32b2190766329.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R41072", "sha1": "1003743f28bec3d175a7a3dc0ec59d1d4e6d27ef", "filename": "files/20160914_R41072_1003743f28bec3d175a7a3dc0ec59d1d4e6d27ef.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 217, "name": "Agricultural Trade" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 3467, "name": "Foreign Aid" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 641, "name": "Farm Bill and Agricultural Policy" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 447681, "date": "2015-04-01", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T19:18:08.664645", "title": "U.S. International Food Aid Programs: Background and Issues", "summary": "For almost six decades, the United States has played a leading role in global efforts to alleviate hunger and malnutrition and to enhance world food security through international food aid assistance\u2014primarily through either the donation or sale on concessional terms of U.S. agricultural commodities. Objectives of U.S. foreign food aid include providing emergency and humanitarian assistance in response to natural or manmade disasters and promoting agricultural development and food security. \nHistorically, U.S. international food aid has been distributed through four main program authorities: (1) the Food for Peace Act (FFPA, also known as P.L. 480); (2) the Section 416(b) program (which has been inactive since 2007); (3) the Food for Progress Act of 1985; and (4) the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. Since 2010, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has also used its authority under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA) to initiate cash-based food assistance under the Emergency Food Security Program (EFSP) as a complement to FFPA Title II emergency in-kind food aid donations. In addition, the 2014 farm bill (P.L. 113-79) added the local and regional purchase project which also relies on cash-based assistance. These six food assistance programs are administered either by the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) or USAID. The Section 416(b) program is permanently authorized by the Agricultural Act of 1949. EFSP is authorized through the FAA. The other programs are re-authorized in periodic farm bills; most recently (through FY2018) by the 2014 farm bill.\nAverage spending on U.S. international food aid programs during the FY2006-FY2013 period was about $2.5 billion annually, with FFPA Title II activities averaging nearly $1.9 billion (76%) of annual outlays. Despite recent growth in cash-based assistance under the EFSP, the United States remains one of the few countries that relies primarily on in-kind transfers of domestically purchased commodities as the basis for international food assistance. In contrast, most other major donor countries have converted primarily to cash-based food assistance\u2014cash transfers, food vouchers, or local and regional commodity purchases. U.S. reliance on in-kind food aid has become controversial for several reasons: it is slower and more costly than cash transfers; it tends to cause commodity price distortions and volatility in local markets where monetization\u2014i.e., the process of selling U.S. commodities in recipient-country markets to generate cash for development programs\u2014occurs; it can impede commercial exports; and it has engendered international concerns from key trade partners who contend that it is a form of export subsidy and potentially conflicts with the intent of international trade agreements. Some advocacy groups support in-kind transfers and their suite of legislative requirements that includes U.S.-sourcing of food aid, as well as minimum levels of non-emergency program funding; domestic processing, bagging and packaging; monetization by eligible nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); and ocean shipping of food aid on U.S. registered vessels (referred to as cargo preference). \nWhile the 2014 farm bill made modest changes to existing U.S. food aid programs, the George W. Bush and Obama Administrations (via their annual budget requests), as well as certain Members of Congress, via bills in the 113th (H.R. 1983 and S. 2421) and 114th (S. 525) Congresses, have proposed making more significant changes to the structure and intent of U.S. food aid programs. Proposed changes include, among others, expanding flexibility in the use of cash-based forms of assistance and eliminating both cargo preference and monetization.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R41072", "sha1": "d47bbc556dccbd3f2f19d4063df940a5bdc281a8", "filename": "files/20150401_R41072_d47bbc556dccbd3f2f19d4063df940a5bdc281a8.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R41072", "sha1": "ed493303c01647760ddb70eaca1aed58d9ced81a", "filename": "files/20150401_R41072_ed493303c01647760ddb70eaca1aed58d9ced81a.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 217, "name": "Agricultural Trade" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 3467, "name": "Foreign Aid" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 641, "name": "Farm Bill and Agricultural Policy" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc306429/", "id": "R41072_2014May28", "date": "2014-05-28", "retrieved": "2014-07-08T21:53:44", "title": "International Food Aid Programs: Background and Issues", "summary": "This report describes the major U.S. international food aid programs along with the related issues--including the Administration's reform proposals--currently before Congress.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20140528_R41072_dbc4e9f5205a97260326bce75c45d6c8141836c5.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20140528_R41072_dbc4e9f5205a97260326bce75c45d6c8141836c5.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "International affairs", "name": "International affairs" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign aid", "name": "Foreign aid" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International relief", "name": "International relief" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc806797/", "id": "R41072_2013May20", "date": "2013-05-20", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "International Food Aid Programs: Background and Issues", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20130520_R41072_716ecf52e0507daa4cab813bf566542f22c810b3.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20130520_R41072_716ecf52e0507daa4cab813bf566542f22c810b3.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc819431/", "id": "R41072_2013Jan09", "date": "2013-01-09", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "International Food Aid Programs: Background and Issues", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20130109_R41072_318f3529da792bd5c6f8f4058bef226863e83731.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20130109_R41072_318f3529da792bd5c6f8f4058bef226863e83731.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc505475/", "id": "R41072_2010Feb03", "date": "2010-02-03", "retrieved": "2015-05-29T05:37:21", "title": "International Food Aid Programs: Background and Issues", "summary": "This report discusses the U.S.'s role in global efforts to alleviate hunger and malnutrition and to enhance world food security through international food aid activities. The development and implementation of a U.S. global food security initiative, and commitments made by global leaders to support agricultural development, have increased Congress's focus on U.S. international food aid programs.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20100203_R41072_97d5c6819b2f8ede9d881b4ae311612df72d7e37.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20100203_R41072_97d5c6819b2f8ede9d881b4ae311612df72d7e37.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "International affairs", "name": "International affairs" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign aid", "name": "Foreign aid" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International relief", "name": "International relief" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Agricultural Policy", "Economic Policy", "Foreign Affairs" ] }