3주차｜식량·물·글로벌 생존 이슈_김현서

[박평식]

Remarks by President Obama After Food Security Expo

Speaker : 오바마 전 미국 대통령

Word Count : 702

1.       Senegal : 세네갈

2.      G8 Meetings : G8 정상회의

3.       Feed the Future : ‘피드 더 퓨처’  - 미국의 식량안보 이니셔티브

4.      New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition : 식량안보 및 영양을 위한 신동맹

As all of you saw, I just had a wonderful opportunity to visit this expo and meet some remarkable men and women who are helping us meet an urgent challenge that affects nearly 900 million people around the world -- chronic hunger and the need for long-term food security.
 
Now, here in Africa, thanks to the economic progress across the continent, incomes are rising, poverty rates are declining, there’s a growing middle class.  

At the same time, far too many Africans still endure the daily injustice of extreme poverty and hunger. 

And we’re here today because improvements in agriculture can make an enormous difference. 

Now, here in Senegal and across Africa, most people are employed in agriculture. 

And we know that, compared to other sectors, growth in agriculture is far more effective in reducing poverty, including among women.  
 
Part of why this work is so important is because if you want broad-based economic growth in a country like Senegal, starting with these small-scale farmers, putting more income into their pockets, ensures that it’s not just a few who are benefitting from development but everybody is benefitting, and it makes an enormous difference.

 
So that’s why when I took office, we took a look at new ways that we could provide assistance and partner with countries, and we decided to make food security a priority. 

We helped mobilize the leading economies around the world on this mission. 

So this was one of our top priorities at the G8 meetings that I attended very early on in my presidency. 

In the United States, we launched our new initiative called Feed the Future, which works in partnership with 12 African countries. 

At the G8 last year we launched the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition. 

We kicked it off with 3 countries. 

It’s already grown by six more countries.

And I’m very pleased about the next step -- Senegal will be joining this year. 
 
And rather than the old models of simply delivering food aid, the New Alliance takes an innovative approach. 

African countries are in the lead -- identifying their priorities, devising their own plans, because they know their countries best. 

It also means that these programs are far more likely to be sustainable. 

Companies large and small, from Africa but also from around the world, have pledged to invest in these plans. 

And there are companies here today making new commitments, bringing total investments in these efforts to $3.7 billion. 

So what we’re doing is we’re taking the private funds that are being leveraged, and combining those with the aid funds that are being provided not just by the United States but some of our other partner countries and, as a consequence, we’re getting a much bigger game for the buck.

We know this works. 

Today we’re going to be releasing a report that shows progress so far under Feed the Future. 

We’ve already helped 7 million small farmers harness new techniques. 

We’ve boosted the value of their goods that they sell by more than $100 million, and that means higher incomes for farmers and more opportunities for farmers. 

And you met some of the farmers here today who are directly benefitting from this program -- not only are they able to improve their own situation, but now they’re starting to hire people and you’re suddenly starting to see growth in these rural communities that makes all the difference for a country like Senegal.
 
In a place like Ethiopia, we’ve been hearing about farmers who are getting new loans, sometimes for small, mechanized products like this that can make all the difference. 

One farmer said this salary changed his life because he was able now to send his child to school. 

So this is making a profound difference in the lives of farmers, it’s making a profound difference in communities all across the continent. 
 
And here at this expo, we’re seeing some of these new technologies that will unleash even more progress -- that includes how farmers here in Senegal are using their
cell phones to share data so they get the best price when they bring their products to market.