Farm Bill Moves in Right Direction to Combat Global Hunger

Former Ag Secretary Dan Glickman and World Food Program USA President and CEO Richard Leach say the farm bill enhances U.S. leadership in the fight against hunger - making an important statement about America's values. Glickman and Leach say fighting global hunger has a tradition of being a bipartisan effort - and the legislation developed by the Senate Ag Committee continues that trend. They say U.S. food aid provides the backbone of the global emergency response system - which is vital to restoring and maintaining stability in volatile regions. Both men say the new bill provides more flexibility to draw on food aid stocks when circumstances require it.

Glickman and Leach note there are many other important qualities of the proposed 2012 Farm Bill - including increased efficiency by reducing costs linked with monetization -promoting enhanced nutrition while increasing the nutritional quality of food aid - and fostering greater coordination among U.S. programs and agencies. They say the bill's provisions ensure future emergency programs are connected with longer-term development efforts.

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