Yesterday I went to the University of Guelph to deliver opening remarks along with former Governor General Michaëlle Jean at the Summit of Universities Fighting World Hunger. My friend, Senator Pamela Wallin, who is the Chancellor of Guelph, was one of the other speakers.

Ambassador Jacobson at the University of Guelph with the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean

This was the Sixth conference but the first time it was held outside the United States. I can’t think of a better place to hold this event than in Canada which is a respected leader in the battle to combat global hunger and to increase nutrition. Fighting world hunger is an example of how the United States and Canada share similar values. How we are committed to the same international goals. How we serve as partners on the world stage.

The event follows Canada’s lead at the G8 and G20 Summits last summer. Those Summits established a common global framework for coordinated and comprehensive action to improve food security among:

• governments,
• donors,
• civil society,
• the private sector, and
• other stakeholders at all levels.

President Obama and the Administration I represent are committed to ending global hunger. Not simply at the level of providing food but beyond. Our goal is to provide the assistance necessary for sustainable food security everywhere.

It is imperative that we deal with world hunger in a permanent and a lasting way. The United States has developed the Feed the Future program to address global hunger and food security and to fulfill our L’Aquila food security commitments. Our focus has been on nutritional needs during the first 1000 days of life — from conception to age two.

Ambassador Jacobson speaking at the Summit of Universities Fighting World Hunger

At the 2009 G8 in L’Aquila, President Obama pledged $3.5 billion for agricultural development and food security over three years as part of an international commitment of more than $22 billion from other donors in support of a common approach to achieve sustainable food security. In 2010 we programmed over $800 million toward our pledge.

We cannot overstate the importance of feeding people. But it is also vital to provide the means to sustainably produce the necessary food. In poor countries, the agriculture sector accounts for about one third of GDP. Under-nutrition costs developing countries up to 3% of their annual GDP. It places individuals at risk of losing more than 10% of their lifetime earning potential. Feed the Future was created to address hunger reduction in the long term.

But feeding people is not just about food. It goes beyond that to facilitating an environment conducive to enabling people to improve their lives. It takes governments working together with the private sector and development organizations to make a difference.

Areas the United States has focused on are:

• Improving agricultural productivity to increase yields.
• Promoting market development by enabling small-scale producers to plan production strategies and connect with markets.
• Facilitating trade expansion by helping to reduce tariffs and other formal restrictions, and by improving banking laws that hinder cross-border capital flows.
• Investing in global innovation and research multi-laterally to expand access to agricultural knowledge.
• Preventing nutritional deficiencies by improving diet quality, diversity of foodstuff, and the delivery of health services to the severely malnourished.
• And providing emergency relief to countries suffering from severe food shortages due to famine, natural disaster, or conflict.

I was heartened by the commitment of the students and the others who attended the conference to look beyond their own borders and to making a difference in the world. I expressed the hope that the enthusiasm they had at the Summit would carry through in their future lives.

DJ