G8 expected to back new approach to food aid

By Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Group of Eight rich nations is expected to back a U.S. proposal next week that would seek a more "coordinated approach" to food aid and development, a top U.S. official said on Friday.

Michael Froman, U.S. deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs, said the proposal and the money involved would build on a global partnership program on food security launched at last year's G8 meeting in Japan.

President Barack Obama announced in April that the United States would seek to double funding for agricultural development aid to $1 billion by 2010.

"Since that time there's been a lot of work done internally to develop a new approach to food security," Froman told Reuters in an interview.

While declining to comment on a funding figure associated with the approach, he said the United States would make a "significant commitment" that built on the $1 billion figure first proposed by Obama. Other countries, he said, would also make significant, multi-year commitments.

Froman said the overall initiative had five key elements.

First, efforts to fight hunger would become more comprehensive, focusing on improving agricultural productivity and development.

Second, countries receiving the aid would be more involved in developing their own agricultural development plans and injecting their own resources.