U.S. government made 'strong progress' in fight against world hunger, but much remains to be done, report says

According to the 2012 Progress Report on U.S. Leadership in Global Agricultural Development (.pdf), released by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs on Thursday, "[t]he U.S. government risks losing the gains it has made in fighting world hunger unless it maintains its effort of the last three years in improving global agricultural practices and food security," Reuters reports. The council's "Global Agricultural Development Initiative evaluated the U.S. government and agencies for their leadership in global agricultural development," and "examined the impact the efforts from Washington had in Ethiopia, Ghana and Bangladesh," the news service writes.

"The report graded efforts by the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Millennium Challenge Corporation as outstanding," Reuters notes, adding, "The U.S. Agriculture Department and Congress received good rankings and the Peace Corps' efforts were rated satisfactory." "'The United States continues to make strong progress in support of agricultural development and food security,' the report said," Reuters writes (Weinraub, 4/26). "The report concludes that while this recent progress should be celebrated, the hard work is just beginning," a council press release states. "The challenge in the years to come will be to maintain this level of leadership and resourcing for the decade or more needed to bring tangible benefits to the developing world's agriculturalists -- and to our global food security," Dan Glickman, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture said, the press release notes (4/26).