The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a $466.5 million investment aimed at enhancing global food security through its international development programs. The announcement was made by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at the Clinton Global Initiative 2024 annual meeting.

For the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, USDA is allocating $248 million in fiscal year 2024 to support projects in nine countries. These projects will provide school meals and boost literacy and primary education, particularly for girls. Through the Food for Progress program, USDA will allocate $218.5 million to assist seven countries in strengthening their agricultural systems, adopting climate-smart technologies, increasing productivity sustainably, and expanding international trade.

“The McGovern-Dole and Food for Progress programs are the embodiment of USDA’s multi-faceted approach to combatting hunger and poverty and addressing the effects of the climate crisis worldwide,” Vilsack said. “Teaming up with both private- and public-sector partners, we’re not only providing direct food assistance but also fostering sustainable agricultural productivity growth, promoting climate-smart agriculture, and enhancing developing countries’ ability to engage in trade, which is critical to food security.”

Under both programs, USDA purchases U.S.-grown commodities and provides them to implementing organizations such as the United Nations World Food Program. Food for Progress partners sell these commodities locally and use the proceeds for local development projects. McGovern-Dole partners use the commodities directly in school feeding programs. Of this year’s $248 million McGovern-Dole allocation, $24 million will be used to support local procurement of commodities to supplement donated U.S. commodities as per provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill.

Through the McGovern-Dole Program, the United States remains a significant donor to global school feeding initiatives. This year alone, USDA will provide over 37,000 metric tons of U.S. commodities to support projects in Angola, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Laos, Malawi and Rwanda—benefitting approximately 1.2 million children and their families across more than 2,800 schools.

The Food for Progress projects funded this year will utilize 315,000 metric tons of U.S.-grown commodities benefiting nearly 200,000 farmers in Benin; Cambodia; Madagascar; Rwanda; Sri Lanka; Tanzania; Tunisia—focusing on areas such as climate-smart agriculture practices; food security standards; sanitary measures; access to capital; trade facilitation.

More information about USDA’s international food assistance can be found at: https://fas.usda.gov/topics/food-security.

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