Smallholder Farmers Feeding the Future: Opportunities and Challenges

By: Staff Person
March 25, 2011

Today’s post is the fourth in a Feed the Future/Reform blog series that MFAN has been coordinating with key members of the community. Click here to read the latest piece by Rachel Voss, Communications and Research Associate at the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa. Voss discusses the potential of smallholder farmers and demonstrates how the Feed the Future initiative “aims to increase food security, improve nutrition, and boost incomes of smallholder farmers by bolstering infrastructure and market access, promoting innovative partnerships, and enabling farmers to produce beyond the subsistence level,” all key elements of reform.

Aid to the Poor: By the Numbers

By: Staff Person
March 23, 2011

We Americans say we do not like foreign aid, but if you ask us what we think about vaccinations for infants in developing countries, or preventing deaths from childbirth, or teaching girls to read, or distributing seeds to farmers whose crops have been flooded, you will find that most of us support modest investments like these that can transform lives. And when natural disasters strike, in Indonesia, Haiti, or Japan, we want to help.

The Missing Link: Private Sector Involvement in Aid for Trade

By: Staff Person
March 16, 2011

On Tuesday, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the World Bank hosted an event, Building Capacity for Trade in Developing Countries: Fostering Public and Private Cooperation in Aid for Trade. As Tom Donohue, President of the Chamber said when he opened the afternoon’s event, “There have never been so many opportunities for business and government to break down barriers to trade as now.” Click here to read more.

Feeding Hungry People While Feeding the Future

By: Staff Person
March 11, 2011

Click here to read the second installment of MFAN’s blog series highlighting the reform aspects of Feed the Future, the United States Government’s global hunger and food security initiative. Feed the Future incorporates many key reform principles such as components of country ownership, strong monitoring and evaluation, and leveraging partnerships for enhanced results. In this week’s post, Rick Leach, President and CEO of World Food Program USA focuses on both the short and long-term goals for food security as well as the importance of a comprehensive approach.

MFAN-WTW-AJWS Celebrate International Women’s Day

By: Staff Person
March 10, 2011

Deputy Administrator for USAID Don Steinberg provided a keynote address in which he spoke about the agency’s efforts to integrate gender policy across all programs. Acknowledging the changing landscape—with the creation of UN Women and recent commitments from President Obama and Secretary Clinton— and the growing awareness of the consequences for excluding women and girls from society, Steinberg said this was a time for action. Some of the action steps USAID has taken include: requiring a gender impact statement on all projects, mandatory training, a code of conduct for trafficking, and the creation of two senior positions for gender empowerment. After listing these steps, Steinberg said the agency is committed to making sure these gains “deepen and are irreversible” adding, “These are non-negotiable requirements for lasting peace and stability—not pet rocks in a rucksack.”

Feed the Future: A Promising New Model of Development

By: Staff Person
March 3, 2011

MFAN is thrilled to kick off a blog series on the reform aspects of Feed the Future. The first post in the series is from Mannik Sakayan, Senior Policy Analyst at Bread for the World. Be sure to check back in the coming weeks as we feature posts from World Food Program USA, ActionAid, the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa, and the German Marshall Fund.

Women’s empowerment — not a partisan issue

By: Staff Person
March 3, 2011

As we approach the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day next week, Heather Coleman of Oxfam America writes about how she is inspired and humbled by the actions women and men are taking across the country to raise awareness about climate change, hunger, and other injustices facing women in poor countries.

Celebrating International Women’s Day

By: Staff Person
March 2, 2011

Tuesday, March 8 marks the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, but MFAN Partner Women Thrive Worldwide is drawing attention to the importance of women’s empowerment a few days early. Tomorrow morning they will have their 3rd annual International Women’s Day breakfast as the community takes stock of the progress made in agricultural development and food security and explores important questions for charting a path forward for gender equality.

Budget Poetry

By: Staff Person
February 25, 2011

See below for a smart, witty poem from the Stimson Center’s Rebecca Williams. Austerity Lite: A Poem Rebecca Williams The House CR passed a few days ago, it cut federal spending and did so with gusto. House Republicans had promised no out-of-control spending, and cut State/AID’s budget, leaving Hillary trembling. Foreign aid supporters say these cuts are Draconian others argue … Continue reading Budget Poetry