WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today's White House Summit on Global Development celebrated a milestone in the U.S. Government's commitment to ending global hunger, poverty and child malnutrition. Earlier this month, Congress passed the Global Food Security Act, important bipartisan legislation that institutionalizes Feed the Future, the Obama Administration's successful approach to increasing food security and nutrition. Through Feed the Future, the U.S. Government is working to increase the incomes, nutrition and resilience of small-scale farmers, particularly women, by expanding farmers' access to local and international markets. President Obama signed the bill into law today.

"While we've already accomplished so much through this collaborative global partnership, I know that with the continued effort and support that this legislation provides, we can achieve what was just a few years ago the unimaginable: We can end global poverty and hunger within our lifetimes," said President Obama when the bill was first passed.

Enactment of the Global Food Security Act would not have been possible without the strong bipartisan support of its co-sponsors, Representatives Chris Smith and Betty McCollum and Senators Johnny Isakson and Bob Casey. Through Feed the Future, the United States has marshaled the resources of 11 government agencies, bringing together many key players with the shared goal of boosting global food security and nutrition.

Today, USAID also announced new results that show how Feed the Future is making impressive progress in the fight against global hunger, poverty and malnutrition. Launched in response to global food price spikes in 2008, Feed the Future has helped more than nine million farmers adopt innovations and practices to build their businesses, helped farmers boost their sales by more than $800 million, leveraged more than $150 million in private sector resources, and reached nearly 18 million young children with nutrition interventions.

Feed the Future is also contributing to very promising reductions in poverty: between 12 and 26 percent in some areas where Feed the Future works. Feed the Future areas have also seen drops in child stunting, a measure of malnutrition, of between 12 and 32 percent in recent years.

Feed the Future's progress to date shows that, with the right approach, the U.S. Government and its partners can empower rural families to find a path from poverty to prosperity and build a more food-secure world.

Additional impact data and results from 19 Feed the Future focus countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean will be released late this year.