In a speech yes­ter­day, U.S. Agri­cul­ture Sec­re­tary Tom Vil­sack said the U.S. will make changes in how it fights global hunger. Right now, the US spends a lot more in food aid than it does on projects that help develop the food pro­duc­tion of the under-developed world. Val­sack wants to change that, and said that they plan meet with agri­cul­ture min­is­ters in Africa on how to best to help the continent’s food security.

From this Reuters arti­cle, writer Mark Wein­raub pro­vides more back­ground on US policy.

Pres­i­dent Barack Obama has said his admin­is­tra­tion will ask Con­gress to dou­ble fund­ing for agri­cul­tural devel­op­ment aid to $1 bil­lion by 2010.

Aid groups have urged the admin­is­tra­tion and Con­gress to do more to address global hunger and poverty.

The United States is the world’s largest donor of emer­gency food aid — mainly crops grown by Amer­i­can farm­ers — but spends 20 times as much on food aid to Africa as it spends on pro­grams that could boost African food pro­duc­tion, accord­ing to research by the Chicago Coun­cil on Global Affairs.

U.S. annual spend­ing on African farm­ing projects topped $400 mil­lion in the 1980s, but by 2006 had dwin­dled to just $60 mil­lion, the coun­cil has said.

Vil­sack said the United States wants to invest in roads and other infra­struc­ture projects in for­eign coun­tries to ensure that food is acces­si­ble to every­one who needs it.

Devel­op­ing nations may also be able to pro­duce more food for trade, help­ing to improve the global econ­omy, he said.

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