World Leaders Take Fresh Approach on Global Hunger

In this file photo, Somali women and children line up to receive a ration of food at a distribution...

In this file photo, Somali women and children line up to receive a ration of food at a distribution centre in the Shangani District of Mogadishu.World leaders said Friday that they want to provide $20 billion over the next three years to increase food production in developing countries and help the poor feed themselves.

(ABDURASHID ABIKAR/AFP/Getty Images)

Leaders of rich and developing countries launched a new approach to global hunger Friday, saying they wanted to spend $20 billion on seeds, fertilizers, tools and other aid for small farmers over the next three years so poor nations could feed themselves.

The initiative announced at the end of a Group of Eight summit marked a new emphasis on helping farmers in the developing world boost production over the long term, moving away from an emphasis on emergency food aid for people suffering from drought and famine.

"We believe that the purpose of aid must be to create the conditions where it's no longer needed — to help people become self-sufficient, provide for their families, and lift their standards of living," President Barack Obama said.

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The promised aid was $5 billion higher than originally expected, and the United Nations and anti-poverty groups welcomed the deal. But they stressed that it was important to see how much would actually be delivered from newly allocated funds and not moved from other development projects.

Obama told Pope Benedict XVI before a private meeting that the package is "something concrete" but the final text of the leaders' statement seemed less than definitive. It said the leaders "welcomed commitments made by countries represented at L'Aquila toward a goal of mobilizing $20 billion over three years."

The U.S. was expected to commit $3 billion of new funding, although White House aides have not confirmed the figure. France pledged $2 billion and the extra $5 billion was pledged by the European Union, delegates said. But it was not immediately clear if there were solid commitments for the remaining amount.

For farmers in poor countries in Africa and elsewhere, any new money would help buying seeds, fertilizers and tools, said Adrian Lovett, a spokesman for Save the Children. There was expected to be a focus on ensuring property rights for poor farmers, who often cannot invest in their small farms because they don't hold legal title to the land.