Hillary Clinton unveils US food security initiative

"Food security is not just about food. But it is all about security: economic security, environmental security, even national security," Clinton told a meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative headed by her husband, former president Bill Clinton.

"Massive hunger poses a threat to the stability of governments, societies and borders," she added, noting that there have been food riots in over 60 countries since 2007.

The new initiative, which Clinton said elevated development to a "key element of our foreign policy," seeks to help farmers improve output and make technology and infrastructure investments to make agriculture "more productive and profitable" in developing countries.

That would mark a shift from the current focus on emergency food assistance during humanitarian crises or natural disasters.

President Barack Obama's administration, Clinton stressed, is "addressing the underlying causes of hunger" through the plan by conducting research to develop better seeds, enacting insurance programs to protect farmers against the risk of agriculture and linking farmers and agribusiness to markets.

She said women, who form the majority of the world's farmers, would be placed at the heart of the efforts.