WASHINGTON, September 21, 2023 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the United States will invest $455 million to strengthen global food security and international capacity-building efforts. The investment will use more than 375,000 tons of U.S. raw materials.
Products from the Food for Progress program will be sold in local and regional markets and profits will help strengthen short- and long-term food security through the development of agricultural value chains and trade promotion activities. Before investing in a project, the USDA conducts extensive analysis to ensure that local production and markets will not be affected, nor that U.S. commercial interests will be affected. Proceeds from the McGovern-Dole program will go directly to hungry school children to help fight hunger and promote education.
“The USDA McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program has been a global pillar of the school nutrition program for more than two decades, benefiting more than 31 million children and families across the world. 48 countries, providing more than 5.5 billion school meals and supporting programs through U.S.-donated products and technical and financial support,” Vilsack said. “Today, on behalf of the Biden Administration, USDA is reaffirming its commitment to strengthening global food security by awarding $230 million for new school food projects under the McGovern-Dole program.
With FY 2023 funding, the McGovern-Dole program will remain the largest donor to global school feeding programs, supporting national programs in low- and middle-income countries. This year the program will include projects in Cameroon, Haiti, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka and Togo.
“USDA will also provide $225 million for international development projects through the Food for Progress program to help improve agricultural productivity and expand agricultural trade,” Vilsack added. “Food for Progress projects play a vital role in combating food insecurity by helping to strengthen productive capacity and expand global adaptation of climate-smart agriculture. »
This year’s Food for Progress program will invest in projects in Bangladesh, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Lesotho, Mauritania, Nepal and Togo.
As a renowned food security program in the international community, USDA works continuously to monitor and ensure program success, while balancing funding allocations with current global nutritional needs.
Last year, for example, Burundi became the newest participant in the McGovern-Dole and Food for Progress programs. Thanks to McGovern-Dole’s investment, more than 6,000 tons of U.S. and 2,000 tons of locally produced products will provide daily school meals and literacy programs for more than 80,000 children.
And with funding from the Food for Progress program, the Burundi Better Coffee Initiative is working holistically across the supply chain to address food security challenges by improving the incomes and resilience of 60,000 farming households.
The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service administers both the Food for Progress and McGovern-Dole programs. Allocation tables for fiscal year 2023 will be published as soon as they become available. For more information about the programs, visit fas.usda.gov/topics/food-security.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans in many positive ways every day. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming the U.S. food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe food , healthy and nutritious food in all communities, creating new markets and income streams for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and capacity clean energy in rural America, and committing to equity across the department by removing systemic barriers and creating a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
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