Simon Winter: While the global drive for increased attention to food security was initiated before the Obama Administration came in to office, this administration began to clearly define a U.S. commitment to this initiative. They did so by articulating development as an important part of diplomacy and defense early on. The release of Feed the Future (FTF), a "whole-of-government" strategy in May 2010 which transcends the office of USAID, was an important step in this direction. The strategy is a comprehensive embrace of four key elements: better availability of food through improved productivity and volume of production, improved access to food by increasing incomes for the poor, improved utilization of food (or improved nutrition), and increased stability of food markets and supply chains which thereby reduces the risk that the poor will fall back into food insecurity.

A: An important component of any development work is the establishment of effective and sustainable local institutions. In the realm of economic development these might be physical organizations like private sector enterprises, training organizations, or public sector departments that encourage investment. Other critical institutions include ethical and governance norms, the legal system as well as civil society. Some international organizations like TechnoServe, are focused on developing small and growing enterprises, given a belief that they are key to broad based economic development. However, in order to ensure such firms can become sustainable it is critical that they become embedded in a web of local organizations that can serve and assist them into the future.