US Government Invests $178-Million in International Food for Progress Projects

Tom Vilsack, US agriculture secretary, has announced the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest 178 million dollars in seven international development projects on four continents to support the priorities of the US government in promoting climate-smart agriculture, facilitating trade, and addressing the root causes of migration in Central America.

The funds are being awarded under the Food for Progress Program, through which the Foreign Agriculture Service of the USDA partners with non-governmental organizations and foreign governments on projects, that help developing nations strengthen their agricultural systems and boost their trading capacity.

According to Tom Vilsack, Food for Progress is a cornerstone of the international capacity-building efforts of the USDA. In 2022, as they emerge from a global pandemic and face the challenges of increasing poverty and hunger, with a changing climate, and the worldwide fallout of Russia’s and Ukraine’s war.

Through the Food for Progress initiative, the USDA donates United States agricultural commodities to eligible entities like foreign governments and private voluntary organizations, which then sell the commodities on the local market, and use them to support agricultural, infrastructure, and economic development programs.

Tom Vilsack said that by partnering with private organisations, they are helping the local governments, businesses and producers, to build more equitable and resilient food systems, with sustainability that boosts production capacity to combat food insecurity.