The United States, through USAID and working with Congress, announced today an additional $40 million to mitigate ongoing food insecurity and build food system resilience across Africa.
Today's announcement will increase investments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia. These efforts will support smallholder farmers to increase yields, mitigate impacts of extreme weather with improved crop varieties, and improve water use efficiency and access, reducing risks to future harvests in the Zambezi River Basin.
While food prices have come down from the record levels of 2022, food insecurity remains high due to recurrent shocks to food systems, such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and effects from El Niño. Through Feed the Future - the United States' whole-of-government food security initiative - USAID works with governments and private partners to help mitigate the impacts of food system shocks and build resiliency for the future. In line with the U.S.-African Union Joint Strategic Partnership on Food Security, the funding will help accelerate a regional, African-led approach to boost agricultural productivity, market linkages, improve nutrition, and leverage the private sector to enhance food security.
In areas supported by Feed the Future, hunger and poverty have dropped by as much as 25 percent over the past decade. Hunger will not be solved by emergency aid alone. Through this funding and strategic partnerships, Feed the Future is breaking the cycle of food insecurity by making long-term investments in agrifood systems that accelerate innovative research and build lasting connections with the private sector.
