This week, USAID announced the launch of the 2018 Progress Snapshot for Feed the Future, America's initiative to combat global hunger. The report shows that in Feed the Future partner countries, an estimated 23.4 million more people live above the poverty line, and 3.4 million more children have escaped the devastating, life-long consequences of poor nutrition early in life since the initiative began.

Feed the Future also helps U.S. businesses compete and expand into new markets, while increasing demand for U.S. products. Between 2009 and 2017, U.S. food and agricultural exports to Feed the Future partner countries increased by more than $1.4 billion.

Feed the Future has also unlocked $3.3 billion in agricultural and rural loans, which enabled poor farmers -- many of them women -- to generate $10.5 billion in new agricultural sales from 2011 through 2017. By supporting policies that open trade in the agriculture sector and reduce corruption, Feed the Future is helping partner countries advance on their journey to self-reliance.

In Africa, the governments of Feed the Future partner countries have increased their domestic spending on agriculture by a rate four times higher than other African nations, which translates into an additional $719 million invested every year.

Numbers like these add up to lives changed in some of the poorest and most-vulnerable areas of our world. and to economic gains here in the United States. The progress made in Feed the Future partner countries is a testament to the power of brave, bold, and bipartisan legislative action, such as the Global Food Security Act, the two-year anniversary of which we commemorate this month.

The Global Food Security Act, and support for its re-authorization, send a clear message that the United States is committed to addressing the root causes of poverty and hunger by equipping people with the tools to feed themselves without our help. This work is more important than ever, as conflict and crises, such as drought, are increasingly threatening progress. That is why Feed the Future is adapting to meet the challenges of changing times to build a more resilient, stable and secure world.

Feed the Future partner countries include in Afghanistan, Benin, Burma, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Georgia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Malawi, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Senegal, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor Leste, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.