Both of these goals apply not only  globally but also at the country and regional levels. Food Insecurity Persists in Sub- Saharan Africa Due to Several Factors, Including Low Agricultural Productivity

Low agricultural productivity, limited rural development, government  policy disincentives, and poor health are among the main factors  contributing to persistent food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa. Additional factors, including rising global commodity prices and climate  change, will likely further exacerbate food insecurity in the region (see   fig. Overall, the gap between the average grain  yield in sub-Saharan Africa compared with the rest of the world’s  developing countries has widened over the years. Low agricultural productivity growth in sub-Saharan Africa is partially due  to inadequate investment and the limited use of modern inputs and  farming practice. Efforts of Host Governments and Donors, Including the United States, Toward Halving Hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2015 Have Been Insufficient

Despite their commitment to halve hunger in sub-Saharan Africa by 2015,  efforts of host governments and donors, including the United States, to  accelerate progress toward that goal have been insufficient. First, host  governments have not prioritized food security as a development goal, and  few have met their 2003 pledge to direct 10 percent of government  spending to agriculture. Second, donors reduced the priority given to  agriculture, and their efforts have been hampered by difficulties in  coordination and deficiencies in estimates of undernourishment used to  measure progress toward attaining the goals to halve hunger by 2015. Third, limited agricultural development resources, increased demand for  emergency food aid, and a fragmented approach impair U.S. efforts to end  hunger in sub-Saharan Africa. While emergency food aid has been crucial in helping to alleviate the  growing number of food crises, it does not address the underlying factors  that contributed to the recurrence and severity of these crises. Despite purporting to be a governmentwide presidential strategy, IEHA is  limited to only some of USAID’s agricultural development activities and  does not integrate with other agencies in terms of plans, programs,  resources, and activities to address food insecurity in Africa. Recommendations for Executive Action

To enhance efforts to address global food insecurity and accelerate  progress toward halving world hunger by 2015, particularly in sub-Saharan  Africa, we recommend that the Administrator of USAID take the following  two actions:    work in collaboration with the Secretaries of State, Agriculture, and the  Treasury to develop an integrated governmentwide U.S. strategy that  defines each agency’s actions and resource commitments toward  achieving food security in sub-Saharan Africa, including improving  collaboration with host governments and other donors and developing  improved measures to monitor and evaluate progress toward the  implementation of this strategy, and   prepare and submit, as part of the annual U.S. International Food  Assistance Report, an annual report to Congress on progress toward the  implementation of the first recommendation. To examine factors that have contributed to continued food insecurity in  sub-Saharan Africa, we relied on the United Nations (UN) Food and  Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) estimates on the number of  undernourished people, and the prevalence of undernourishment, which is  one of two progress indicators in the Millennium Development Goals  (MDG) target of halving hunger, to illustrate the lack of progress in  reducing hunger in sub-Saharan Africa as compared with other parts of the  developing world. The Impact  of Climate Change on African Agriculture: A Ricardian Approach. Appendix VII: Comments from the U.S. Agency for International Development

Following are GAO’s comments on the U.S. Agency for International  Development letter dated May 16, 2008. 2.
Why GAO Did This Study

In 1996, the United States and more than 180 world leaders pledged to halve the number of undernourished people globally by 2015 from the 1990 level. The global number has not decreased significantly--remaining at about 850 million in 2001-2003--and the number in sub-Saharan Africa has increased from about 170 million in 1990-1992 to over 200 million in 2001-2003. On the basis of analyses of U.S. and international agency documents, structured panel discussions with experts and practitioners, and fieldwork in four African countries, GAO was asked to examine (1) factors that contribute to persistent food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa and (2) the extent to which host governments and donors, including the United States, are working toward halving hunger in the region by 2015.

What GAO Found

Chronic undernourishment (food insecurity) in sub-Saharan Africa persists primarily due to low agricultural productivity, limited rural development, government policy disincentives, and the impact of poor health on the agricultural workforce. Additional factors, including rising global commodity prices and climate change, will likely further exacerbate food insecurity in the region. Agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa, as measured by grain yield, is only about 40 percent of that of the rest of the world's developing countries, and the gap has widened over the years. Low agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa is due, in part, to the limited use of agricultural inputs, such as fertilizer and improved seed varieties, and the lack of modern farming practices. The efforts of host governments and donors, including the United States, to achieve the goal of halving hunger in sub-Saharan Africa by 2015 have thus far been insufficient. First, some host governments have not prioritized food security as a development goal, and, according to a 2008 report of the International Food Policy Research Institute, as of 2005, only a few countries had fulfilled a 2003 pledge to direct 10 percent of government spending to agriculture. Second, donors have reduced the priority given to agriculture, and their efforts have been further hampered by difficulties in coordination and deficiencies in measuring and monitoring progress. Third, limited agricultural development resources and a fragmented approach have impaired U.S. efforts to reduce hunger in Africa. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funding to address food insecurity in Africa has been primarily for emergency food aid, which has been crucial in helping to alleviate food crises but has not addressed the underlying factors that contributed to the recurrence and severity of these crises. Also, the United States' principal strategy for meeting its commitment to halve hunger in Africa is limited to some of USAID's agricultural development activities and does not integrate other U.S. agencies' agricultural development assistance to the region.