Biden-Harris Administration Invests $178 Million in Worldwide Meals for Progress Initiatives

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2022 – The U.S. Division of Agriculture will make investments $178 million in seven worldwide growth initiatives on 4 continents to help U.S. authorities priorities together with selling climate-smart agriculture, facilitating commerce and addressing the foundation causes of migration in Central America, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack introduced at this time.

The funds are being awarded beneath the Meals for Progress Program, by means of which USDA’s Overseas Agricultural Service companions with non-governmental organizations and overseas governments on initiatives that assist growing nations strengthen their agricultural programs and increase their commerce capability. This yr’s awards are a part of the $2 billion funding to strengthen international meals safety, introduced by President Joe Biden on the United Nations Basic Meeting.

“Meals for Progress is a cornerstone of USDA’s worldwide capacity-building efforts. This yr, as we emerge from a world pandemic and face the challenges of rising starvation and poverty, altering local weather and the worldwide fallout of Russia’s brutal struggle on Ukraine, this work is extra necessary than ever,” Vilsack mentioned. “By partnering with private-sector organizations, native governments, and native producers and companies, we’re serving to to construct extra equitable and resilient meals programs, sustainably increase manufacturing capability to fight meals insecurity, and enhance farmers’ incomes whereas enhancing their potential to mitigate and adapt to local weather change.”

By Meals for Progress, USDA donates U.S. agricultural commodities to eligible entities equivalent to non-public voluntary organizations and overseas governments, which then promote the commodities on the native market and use the proceeds to help agricultural, financial or infrastructure growth applications. This yr, USDA will donate 240,000 metric tons of commodities, valued at $129.6 million, for initiatives to:

• Help the Biden-Harris Administration’s technique to deal with the foundation causes of migration within the Northern Triangle area of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras by specializing in sustainable and climate-smart agricultural manufacturing, commerce facilitation and supply-chain integration;
• Enhance the livelihoods of 60,000 coffee-producing households in areas of Burundi which have been threatened by ecological change and restricted financial development;
• Improve Jamaica’s spice yields by 50 %, whereas additionally boosting processing and export capability, by means of a systems-based method and a concentrate on climate-smart manufacturing;
• Handle meals insecurity in Malawi by means of a mission that may increase manufacturing and profitability for 35,000 farms by means of implementation of sustainable and scalable climate-smart agricultural practices;
• Help cacao producers in Nigeria with growing manufacturing capability and reducing their local weather footprint whereas additionally implementing a traceability course of throughout the cacao worth chain;
• Enhance yields and income for 12,000 spice farmers in Peru by supporting their resilience although climate-smart manufacturing practices; and
• Promote adoption of climate-smart manufacturing practices by 30,000 farmers in Thailand by means of creation of a regional information hub.

The seven new Meals for Progress initiatives funded by USDA in 2022 are along with 41 initiatives at the moment underway in 38 nations. To be taught extra, view the whole listing of 2022 Meals for Progress awards.

USDA touches the lives of all Individuals every day in so many constructive methods. Below the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is reworking America’s meals system with a higher concentrate on extra resilient native and regional meals manufacturing, selling competitors and fairer markets for all producers, guaranteeing entry to secure, wholesome and nutritious meals in all communities, constructing new markets and streams of earnings for farmers and producers utilizing climate-smart meals and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clear vitality capabilities in rural America, and committing to fairness throughout the Division by eradicating systemic obstacles and constructing a workforce extra consultant of America. To be taught extra, go to www.usda.gov.

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