To Bolster Global Food and Water Security, Strengthen U.S. Policy Coordination

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This commentary is part of a report from the CSIS Global Development Department series entitled Global Development Recommendations for the Next Administration

Clean water and nutritious food are indispensable to human welfare. They are also increasingly important to U.S. foreign policy. The U.S. Government Global Food Security Strategy (GFSS) recognizes alleviating global hunger and malnutrition as key to human development and economic growth, and considers it a national security priority. The U.S. Government Global Water Strategy (GWS) proclaims promoting safe water and sanitation as essential to human health, peace, and prosperity, as well as an entry point to strengthening governance and societal resilience. Global water and food insecurity are inextricably intertwined, posing significant challenges for development and stability. Nonetheless, the U.S. government approaches these challenges through wholly distinct legislation, policies, and programs, each implemented by separate sets of U.S. government and external experts. To better address these interconnected concerns, the United States should more deliberately integrate its water and food security strategies.

Capturing Food and Water Security Synergies

The world’s food and freshwater resources constitute interdependent systems. Ending hunger and ensuring sustainable agricultural economies necessitates safe and sufficient water supplies. The United Nations estimates that global food production will have to rise 50 percent by 2050 to meet the increasing demands of growing populations, requiring water withdrawals 30 percent greater than today. At the household level, water insecurity is strongly associated with food insecurity—around the world, the less water-secure a household is, the more likely it is to also experience food insecurity.

The U.S. government’s approach to global water insecurity is directed by the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2014, guided by the GWS, and implemented in high-priority countries determined by criteria set forth in the Water for the World Act. Similarly, the U.S. government’s approach to global food insecurity is directed by the Global Food Security Act of 2016, guided by the GFSS, and implemented in focus countries determined by separate criteria in the Global Food Security Act.

But lack of coordination often generates adverse outcomes. Policies designed to enhance agricultural outputs may compromise the quality or quantity of available water sources and vice versa. Many farmers, for example, are extending and intensifying irrigation practices to increase agricultural production. But uncoordinated increases in water withdrawals for crops can then clash with the needs of other sectors reliant upon the same resources, undermining their development and potentially spurring conflicts between competing users. Water-insecure households may struggle to access water to clean, prepare, and cook food safely; may lack adequate water for breastfeeding and infant health; and may be forced to spend more time and resources obtaining water for daily needs. Water-insecure households may struggle to access water to clean, prepare, and cook food safely; may lack adequate water for breastfeeding and infant health; and may be forced to spend more time and resources obtaining water for daily needs.

Developing closer policy alignment among the U.S. government’s approaches could help countries and communities navigate these challenges and capture multiple synergies between water and food security goals. Increased resource efficiency is one. Efficient water management practices, such as drip irrigation and rainwater harvesting, not only conserve water but enhance agricultural productivity, potentially conserving water for household use at the same time.

Promoting global food and water security directly advances U.S. interests. Food and water furnish entry points for strengthening accountable governance. U.S. knowledge, technologies, and practices present significant market opportunities.

Action Steps

U.S. global food and water security objectives are fundamentally codependent. Strengthening coherence between the two will begin with the legislation that originates U.S. policy and will be embodied by their respective global strategies. Both strategies are set to be renewed under the new administration, with the GFSS expiring in 2026 and the GWS expiring in 2027. The renewal processes provide the platform for ensuring that these strategies are mutually reinforcing. Several actions are key to successfully renewing both strategies and enabling progress on food and water security simultaneously:

  • Engage Congress. In advance of the upcoming renewals, the administration should engage key members of Congress—including relevant champions and legislative sponsors such as Senators Boozman, Stabenow, Durbin, Coons, and Cotton, as well as chairs of pertinent subcommittees. Enlisting congressional buy-in for better-aligned global food and water policies will be an essential first step.
  • Coordinate processes. The respective interagency teams charged with developing the next food security and water strategies should commit to regular joint meetings, with a view to purposefully coordinating the planning and formulation of U.S. policy aims and approaches.
  • Integrate policies. As the next GFSS and GWS take shape, the two strategies should establish shared language and explicit requirements, guidance, and metrics for strengthening policy coherence, focusing specifically on enhancing coordination within priority countries.

Promoting global food and water security directly advances U.S. interests. Food and water furnish entry points for strengthening accountable governance. U.S. knowledge, technologies, and practices present significant market opportunities. Better harmonizing the GFSS and GWS holds immense potential for addressing interconnected challenges, resulting in enhanced resource efficiency, increased resilience, improved nutrition outcomes, greater economic development, and maximally effective use of U.S. taxpayer dollars.

David Michel is the senior fellow for water security with the Global Food and Water Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. Caitlin Welsh is the director of the Global Food and Water Security Program at CSIS.

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David Michel
Senior Fellow, Global Food and Water Security Program
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Caitlin Welsh
Director, Global Food and Water Security Program