22 U.S.C. § 9303: Definitions

Summary

Defines key words used in the chapter on global food security. Appropriate congressional committees — the six named Senate and House committees that handle foreign, agriculture, and funding matters. Feed the Future Innovation Labs — university-led research partnerships that work on reducing global hunger, poverty, and malnutrition and on responses to shocks. Food and nutrition security — steady access to enough safe, nutritious food for a healthy, active life. Food system — all the people and steps involved in producing, processing, moving, selling, and eating food, including farming, fishing, forestry, and how social and environmental factors affect them. Global Food Security Strategy — the strategy created and carried out under section 9304(a). Key stakeholders — the mix of federal agencies, target-country governments, other donors, international groups, financial institutions, NGOs and faith groups, private businesses and agribusiness, local producers (farmers, fishers, cooperatives, youth, and women), and research and academic institutions. Malnutrition — poor nutrition from too little or too much of needed nutrients. Relevant Federal departments and agencies — the United States Agency for International Development; Department of Agriculture; Department of Commerce; Department of State; Department of the Treasury; Millennium Challenge Corporation; United States International Development Finance Corporation; Peace Corps; Office of the United States Trade Representative; United States African Development Foundation; Inter‑American Foundation; United States Geological Survey; and any other department or agency the President names for this section. Resilience — the ability of people, communities, and food systems to cope with, adapt to, and recover from shocks in ways that lower long-term risk and support inclusive growth. Small-scale producer — farmers, herders, foresters, and artisanal fishers with few assets and limited resources, often farming under 5 hectares. Stunting — very low height for age (more than 2 standard deviations below the norm), usually beginning before age 2, linked to poor environment and long-term health and development harms. Sustainable — able to keep programs and results going over time. Target country — a developing country picked under the Global Food Security Strategy using the selection rules in section 9304(a)(2), such as potential for agricultural growth, government commitment, partnership chances, need, and available resources. Wasting — a rapid, life‑threatening decline in nutrition; in children it shows as low weight for height and weak immunity, raising the risk of death.

Title 22, §9303

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

In this chapter:

(1)Appropriate congressional committees

The term “appropriate congressional committees” means—

(A)the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;

(B)the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate;

(C)the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;

(D)the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives;

(E)the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives; and

(F)the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.

(2)Feed the Future Innovation Labs

The term “Feed the Future Innovation Labs” means research partnerships led by United States universities that advance solutions to reduce global hunger, poverty, and malnutrition, including in response to shocks and stresses to food and nutrition security.

(3)Food and nutrition security

The term “food and nutrition security” means access to, and availability, utilization, and stability of, sufficient food to meet caloric and nutritional needs for an active and healthy life.

(4)Food system

The term “food system” means the intact or whole unit made up of interrelated components of people, behaviors, relationships, and material goods that interact in the production, processing, packaging, transporting, trade, marketing, consumption, and use of food, feed, and fiber through aquaculture, farming, wild fisheries, forestry, and pastoralism that operates within and is influenced by social, political, economic, and environmental contexts.

(5)Global Food Security Strategy

The term “Global Food Security Strategy” means the strategy developed and implemented pursuant to section 9304(a) of this title.

(6)Key stakeholders

The term “key stakeholders” means actors engaged in efforts to advance global food security programs and objectives, including—

(A)relevant Federal departments and agencies;

(B)national and local governments in target countries;

(C)other bilateral donors;

(D)international and regional organizations;

(E)international, regional, and local financial institutions;

(F)international, regional, and local private voluntary, nongovernmental, faith-based, and civil society organizations;

(G)the private sector, including agribusinesses and relevant commodities groups;

(H)local agricultural producers, including farmer and fisher organizations, cooperatives, small-scale producers, youth, and women; and

(I)agricultural research and academic institutions, including land-grant universities and extension services.

(7)Malnutrition

The term “malnutrition” means poor nutritional status caused by nutritional deficiency or excess.

(8)Relevant Federal departments and agencies

The term “relevant Federal departments and agencies” means the United States Agency for International Development, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the United States International Development Finance Corporation, the Peace Corps, the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the United States African Development Foundation, the Inter-American Foundation, the United States Geological Survey, and any other department or agency specified by the President for purposes of this section.

(9)Resilience

The term “resilience” means the ability of people, households, communities, countries, and agriculture and food systems to mitigate, adapt to, and recover from shocks and stresses to food security, including global food catastrophes, in a manner that reduces chronic vulnerability and facilitates inclusive growth.

(10)Small-scale producer

The term “small-scale producer” means farmers, pastoralists, foresters, and artisanal fishing communities that have a low asset base and limited resources, including land, capital, skills and labor, and, in the case of farmers, typically farm on fewer than 5 hectares of land.

(11)Stunting

The term “stunting” refers to a condition that—

(A)is measured by a height-to-age ratio that is more than 2 standard deviations below the median for the population;

(B)manifests in children who are younger than 2 years of age;

(C)is a process that can continue in children after they reach 2 years of age, resulting in an individual being “stunted”;

(D)is a marker of an environment deficient in the various needs that allow for a child’s healthy growth, including nutrition; and

(E)is associated with long-term poor health, delayed motor development, impaired cognitive function, and decreased immunity.

(12)Sustainable

The term “sustainable” means the ability of a target country, community, implementing partner, or intended beneficiary to maintain, over time, the programs authorized and outcomes achieved pursuant to this chapter.

(13)Target country

The term “target country” means a developing country that is selected to participate in food and nutrition security and agriculture-led economic growth programs under the Global Food Security Strategy pursuant to the selection criteria described in section 9304(a)(2) of this title, including criteria such as the potential for agriculture-led economic growth, government commitment to agricultural investment and policy reform, opportunities for partnerships and regional synergies, the level of need, and resource availability.

(14)Wasting

The term “wasting” means—

(A)a life-threatening condition attributable to poor nutrient intake or disease that is characterized by a rapid deterioration in nutritional status over a short period of time; and

(B)in the case of children, is characterized by low weight for height and weakened immunity, increasing their risk of death due to greater frequency and severity of common infection, particularly when severe.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2022—Par. (2). Pub. L. 117–263, § 5588(c)(1), inserted “, including in response to shocks and stresses to food and nutrition security” before period at end. Pars. (4) to (6). Pub. L. 117–263, § 5588(c)(2), (3), added par. (4) and redesignated former pars. (4) and (5) as (5) and (6), respectively. Former par. (6) redesignated (7). Par. (6)(H). Pub. L. 117–263, § 5588(c)(4), amended subpar. (H) generally. Prior to amendment, subpar. (H) read as follows: “agricultural producers, including farmer organizations, cooperatives, small-scale producers, and women; and”. Par. (7). Pub. L. 117–263, § 5588(c)(2), redesignated par. (6) as (7). Former par. (7) redesignated (8). Par. (8). Pub. L. 117–263, § 5588(c)(5), which directed amendment of “paragraph (7), as redesignated” by inserting “the Inter-American Foundation,” after “United States African Development Foundation,” was executed by making the amendment in par. (8), as redesignated, to reflect the probable intent of Congress. Par. (7), as redesignated by Pub. L. 117–263, § 5588(c)(2), does not contain the words “United States African Development Foundation,”. Pub. L. 117–263, § 5588(c)(2), redesignated par. (7) as (8). Former par. (8) redesignated (9). Par. (9). Pub. L. 117–263, § 5588(c)(2), (6), redesignated par. (8) as (9) and inserted “agriculture and food” before “systems” and “, including global food catastrophes,” after “food security”. Former par. (9) redesignated (10). Par. (10). Pub. L. 117–263, § 5588(c)(2), (7), redesignated par. (9) as (10) and substituted “artisanal fishing communities” for “fishers”. Former par. (10) redesignated (11). Par. (11). Pub. L. 117–263, § 5588(c)(2), redesignated par. (10) as (11). Former par. (11) redesignated (12). Par. (11)(D), (E). Pub. L. 117–263, § 5588(c)(8), amended subpars. (D) and (E) generally. Prior to amendment, subpars. (D) and (E) read as follows: “(D) is a sign of chronic malnutrition; and “(E) can lead to long-term poor health, delayed motor development, impaired cognitive function, and decreased immunity.” Par. (12). Pub. L. 117–263, § 5588(c)(2), redesignated par. (11) as (12). Former par. (12) redesignated (13). Par. (13). Pub. L. 117–263, § 5588(c)(2), (9), redesignated par. (12) as (13) and substituted “food and nutrition security and agriculture-led economic growth” for “agriculture and nutrition security”. Par. (14). Pub. L. 117–263, § 5588(c)(10), added par. (14). 2018—Par. (7). Pub. L. 115–254 substituted “United States International Development Finance Corporation” for “Overseas Private Investment Corporation”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2018 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 115–254 effective at the end of the transition period, as defined in section 9681 of this title, see section 1470(w) of Pub. L. 115–254, set out as a note under section 905 of Title 2, The Congress.

§9303 Definitions