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Hunger and malnutrition in the world have increased, affecting human development, social and political stability, and progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
Moreover, the 2007-2008 food price crisis and the recent financial crisis severely impacted on developing countries and pose a threat to attaining MDG 1 – the eradication of poverty and hunger
In 2009, the EU mobilised additional support including a €1 billion 'food facility' to help developing countries cope with rising food prices. However, despite attempts to address these crises ) more needs to be done
Countries in situations of fragility are the large majority of those farthest behind in the achievement of MDG1. This is particularly true in Africa where nearly 80% of malnourished people live in fragile countries but is also relevant in a number of Asian and Latin American countries

The policy focuses on malnourished people in developing countries. Most of the poor and hungry still reside in the rural areas of these countries
As evidence shows that investments in the agriculture smallholder sector provide the greatest returns in terms of poverty reduction and growth, this EU framework on agriculture and food security concentrates on strengthening the productivity of smallholder farmers and the resilience of rural communities
Recognising that food security cannot only be addressed through agricultural support, the policy framework also calls for theestablishment of flexible safety net mechanisms to address the needs of the most vulnerable groups (mothers, young children, handicapped, etc.), including their nutritional needs

As the world nears the ten year anniversary of the adoption of the Millennium Declaration (and accompanying MDGs) and accelerates its efforts towards achieving these Goals, the EU should, as the world's largest donor of development aid, intensify its cooperation efforts in food security
A UN MDG high level event to review progress so far will be held in New York in September 2010; this provides an opportunity to take stock of progress so far on MDGs with a view to clarifying direction up to 2015, the deadline for the MDG initiative
This communication will feed into the preparation of a common EU position for the September event; it is part of a wider package of thematic papers on other MDG issues – health, education, gender, taxation as well as the 2010 Spring development package which will highlight progress so far towards the MDGs
The Communication is complemented by a policy paper on Humanitarian Food Assistance which focuses on emergency and post-emergency contexts

The EU framework concentrates on strengthening the productivity of smallholder farmers and the resilience of rural communities, supporting governance improvements for food security at global, regional and national levels and strengthening assistance mechanisms for extremely vulnerable and food insecure population groups
The policy will assist developing countries in addressing the four pillars of food security: (i) increasing availability of food, (ii) improving access to food, (iii) improving quality of food and ensuring adequate intake, and (iv) crisis prevention and management
It proposes a number of concrete actions, including:

A focus on support for ecologically efficient agricultural intensification for smallholder farmers, and in particular women
A substantial increase in support to demand-led agricultural research for development, extension and innovation, aiming to reach 50% by 2015
A joint initiative with the African Union to accelerate the implementation of the African Land Policy Guidelines
Support to the establishment or expansion of targeted and flexible social safety nets adapted to local contexts
Support to the reform of the Committee on Food Security to become the pivotal global institution on food security

The Foreign Affairs Council (Development) of 10-11 May should discuss and endorse the proposal
The paper should guide the EU position on food security at the UN Summit in New York from 22- 24 September 2010

Development – I-center