Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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72. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 128 of 28 May 2013, in which he stated that 20% of Irish Aid’s expenditure is on hunger reduction, if he will specifically detail the way this is measured and the type of expenditure that falls under Irish Aid’s definition of hunger reduction spending. [28210/13]

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Combating global hunger and under-nutrition is a key pillar of Ireland's overseas development assistance programme, which is a central element of our foreign policy. This commitment was renewed last month when we launched Ireland's new policy for international development, 'One World,One Future'. In 2008, Ireland's Hunger Task Force called on the Government to work towards an indicative target of directing twenty per cent of our overseas development assistance budget to hunger-related activities by 2012. We have delivered on that target, and over 20% of the Irish Aid budget is now focused on the fight to reduce hunger.

All of the work of the aid programme on the reduction of poverty naturally has an impact on hunger reduction. However, the hunger target expenditure is made up of programmes and interventions which have a significant impact on hunger reduction. These include Irish Aid's support for agriculture programmes which help poor smallholder farmers to boost their yields and diversify their crops, as well as our support for agricultural research for development. They also include Irish Aid's support for nutrition programmes and interventions, school feeding programmes, food assistance programmes and emergency food distribution.

The social protection programmes supported by Irish Aid have a significant impact on hunger reduction and are also included our hunger target. These programmes play an important role in addressing income poverty, and improve the ability of poor people to buy more nutritious food and to have two meals a day rather than one.

Health care, health education and improving the supply of drinking water and sanitation also have a significant impact on reducing hunger, and programmes which Irish Aid support in these areas are included our hunger target.

Reaching and exceeding our 20% hunger target has involved a reorientation of our development programme to ensure a stronger hunger response at the global level and in the countries in which we work. It clearly marks Ireland out in global terms for our commitment in the fight against hunger and under-nutrition. We are determined to stay on track with this important work.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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73. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if Irish Aid reviewed Dóchas recently published Models of Agricultural Investment research paper; and if Irish Aid plan to implement any of the recommendations contained in this paper. [28211/13]

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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I warmly welcome the report, “Models of Agricultural Investment”, published last November by Dóchas, the umbrella organisation for Irish development NGOs. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine contributed to the report's formulation. The report concludes that the local context is a crucial determinant of the suitability of any agricultural investment model in the developing world. I strongly share the view that a differentiated approach is necessary in working with development partners, taking account of local conditions. Combating global hunger and under-nutrition is a key pillar of Ireland's overseas development assistance programme, as re-confirmed in the Government's new policy for international development, 'One World, One Future'. Support for poor agricultural smallholders is a core element of our strategy, which is guided by the 2008 Hunger Task Force Report. This report highlighted in particular the need to support smallholder farmers in Africa, and in particular women farmers, to increase their productivity. Through our aid programme, Ireland supports international agricultural research for development, primarily through the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Ireland advocates to ensure that CGIAR research programmes are climate-smart, gender-sensitive and nutrition-sensitive. We also support a range of smallholder support activities in our Key Partner Countries, and we prioritise the implementation of beneficial research outcomes.

The Dóchas report contains a number of recommendations. One is that evidence-based assessment is necessary for effective evaluation of the impact of work carried out by NGOs supported by the Government. I am in full agreement. Irish Aid funding decisions are based on a strong results-based management system. As a condition of funding, all NGO partners must set out clearly defined results and demonstrate strong monitoring and evaluation procedures to track those results.

The report also recommends support for the implementation of the UN Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land. As Presidency of the EU, Ireland worked to ensure that the guidelines were included in the new EU Food and Nutrition Security Implementation Plan which was adopted by EU Development Ministers at the Foreign Affairs Council on 28 May 2013.

I look forward to continuing dialogue with Dóchas on our approach to agriculture in the fight to end extreme hunger and poverty in the world.