African Governments and international donors are focused on improving the region’s ability to grow food to mitigate projected long-term deterioration in food security. An ERS study shows that improving grain yields is the key to reducing food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Investment...

Food assistance programs, particularly the Food Stamp Program, increase food spending and household income. In 2004, adding food stamp benefits to recipients’ incomes raised 9 percent of recipients out of poverty. Nutritional effects of food assistance programs are uncertain.

In Afghanistan, the 2007/08 rapid rise in wheat prices impacted urban and rural household food security, with observed declines in food consumed, calories, protein, and dietary diversity. Households traded off quality for quantity, moving away from micronutrient-rich foods like meat, fruit, and...

Fruit and vegetable imports to the U.S. have been growing, but fumigation, 25 the main treatment for quarantine pests on fruit and vegetables, faces an uncertain regulatory climate.Irradiation can act as an alternative treatment for foodborne pests, but it requires labeling and large investments...