The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a plan to invest $178 million in projects that support U.S. government priorities.

According to a Sept. 21 news release, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the seven development projects to take place across four continents. The projects highlight climate-smart agriculture, facilitating trade and focusing on migration in Central America.

"Food for Progress is a cornerstone of USDA's international capacity-building efforts," Vilsack said in the news release. "This year, as we emerge from a global pandemic and face the challenges of rising hunger and poverty, changing climate and the worldwide fallout of Russia's brutal war on Ukraine, this work is more important than ever."

Through Food for Progress, the USDA provides American agricultural products to qualified groups, including private nonprofits and foreign governments, who sell the products on the local market and utilize the proceeds to fund infrastructure, farming and economic development programs, according to the news release.

"By partnering with private-sector organizations, local governments and local producers and businesses, we are helping to build more equitable and resilient food systems, sustainably boost production capacity to combat food insecurity and increase farmers' incomes while enhancing their ability to mitigate and adapt to climate change," Visack said in the release.

The release reported the USDA will provide 240,000 metric tons of commodities at $129.6 million for the projects. The seven new Food for Progress projects are in addition to the 41 projects that have already started in 38 other countries.