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Chronic hunger and undernutrition will be on my radar in 2013 as InterAction’s members intensify their efforts to solve a problem that has no place in the 21st century.

Besides all the talk about the “fiscal cliff,” Congress still hasn’t passed any long-term spending bills for fiscal year 2013, which began on October 1, 2012.  While they have passed a stopgap “continuing resolution,” which would last until almost the end of March, that “CR” sets spending at essentially the same level as in 2012, so it is more of a “band-aid” solution than a final package. This means that funding for all sorts of programs – domestic, international, defense and otherwise – are stuck at last year’s spending levels.

In the last few months, West Africa and Haiti have suffered major disasters of epic proportions. In West Africa, both Niger and Nigeria experienced the worst flooding in decades, which has impacted over 2 million people. And, after a summer of unusual drought and flash floods, Haiti's agricultural sector suffered a fatal blow from Hurricane Sandy that has created a severe crisis for 1.5 million people.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (December 3, 2012) - Two-year-old Lokko Godana drinks cow’s milk every morning. The milk is rich in proteins and vitamins, providing Lokko the nutrition she needs to supplement a daily diet of maize porridge. Lack of access to animal milk was the primary cause of her malnutrition last year when the drought slowed cow milk production in the southern pastoral areas of Ethiopia. With supplementary feeding for the cattle, milk production increased and Lokko’s health improved.