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USDA announces funding to strengthen global food security

The funding will provide U.S.-grown commodities to nine countries to support school meals, literacy and agricultural development.

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest $466.5 million in global food security through its McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program and the Food for Progress Program, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced at the Clinton Global Initiative 2024 annual meeting.

The USDA will allocate $248 million in fiscal year 2024 to the McGovern-Dole Program, which focuses on providing school meals and improving literacy and primary education, particularly for girls, in nine countries. Additionally, $218.5 million will go to the Food for Progress Program, which aims to help seven countries enhance agricultural systems, adopt climate-smart practices, boost productivity, and expand international trade.

“These programs embody USDA’s comprehensive approach to combatting hunger, poverty, and the climate crisis globally,” Vilsack said. “We’re not only providing food assistance but also promoting sustainable agricultural productivity and helping developing countries engage in international trade, which is essential for food security.”

Through these programs, the USDA will purchase U.S.-grown commodities to provide to partners such as the United Nations World Food Program. The commodities are sold locally, and proceeds are used to support development projects. The McGovern-Dole Program will provide more than 37,000 metric tons of U.S. commodities to projects in Angola, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Laos, Malawi, and Rwanda, benefiting about 1.2 million children and their families in 2,800 schools.

The Food for Progress Program will support 315,000 metric tons of U.S. commodities, ultimately benefiting 200,000 farmers in Benin, Cambodia, Madagascar, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Tunisia, focusing on key issues like climate-smart agriculture, food security, and trade facilitation.

Details on the funding allocations will be published once contracts are finalized. More information on USDA’s international food assistance programs can be found on the USDA website.

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