The US launched a major food security initiative on Thursday (20 May), dubbed ‘Feed the Future’, confirming Washington’s shift from relying exclusively on food aid as its anti-hunger tool to multi-billion dollar, long-term investments to develop world farming.

Rajiv Shah, head of the US agency for international development, said the new programme would invest $3.5bn in the next three years in 20 countries to “reverse the trend of failed agriculture and malnutrition leading to hunger and insecurity”. Read more

By Javier Blas, Commodities Correspondent for the FinancialTimes.com