The economic crisis has scored a double hit against developing nations, leaving more people without food and limiting donors’ ability to assist. The European Union and the United States, which between them deliver two-thirds of the world’s aid, are working together to encourage donors to honour their pledges but also to work on making diminished funds go further.

“Public budgets are decreasing because of the financial crisis, so this calls on us to work in a cooperative manner,” Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva told Europoliticsa day before meeting Ertharin Cousin, US Ambassador to the UN Agencies in Rome. The crisis also brings people in borderline areas closer to extreme poverty. Cousin said richer nations must be “very mindful of those countries that were marginally above the line in food security that they don’t slip below”.

The solution, they suggest, is to maximise the benefits of existing funding by targeting women. The US’ new Feed the Future initiative notes the crucial role of women who make up the majority of smallholder farmers, but who are often involved less than men in planning projects. “When we work with and support women, in increasing the yields of their farms, for example, we also know that children are going to eat,” she told Europolitics.

Cousin supported Georgieva’s idea to encourage emerging nations to participate more in aid projects. She argues that it is not only a question of the responsibility that comes with a healthier economy, but a chance to benefit from their own experiences of growth. “There is more interest from all of these countries in using what they have learned in moving from a developing country into being surplus countries,” Cousin said.