Commitment for 2024 - $3.0bn.

U.S. Food Assistance Programs

The United States' provides both emergency food assistance as well as focuses on the root causes of hunger and chronic poverty through development and resilience programs. There are four main programs implemented in partnership between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) These programs combined provided over $2.7 billion in critical aid in fiscal year 2015 (October 1, 2014- September 30, 2015).

USAID's Office of Food for Peace

USAID's food assistance efforts are an expression of the compassion and goodwill of the people of the United States. The lifesaving assistance we provide can also help to stabilize fragile situations. Our emergency food assistance and multi-year development programs:

Monitor food insecurity throughout the world;

Save lives in times of crisis;

Tackle chronic undernutrition; and

Help the most vulnerable break the cycle of poverty and hunger through agriculture and livelihoods support.

Many development food assistance programs target disaster-prone areas and are designed to build resilience and help reduce the need for emergency assistance over time.

Some key highlights from Food for Peace's food assistance programs:

USAID has been the largest provider of food assistance to the Ebola-affected region in West Africa since the beginning of the outbreak in 2014. FFP is addressing the urgent food needs of persons directly affected by Ebola and those impacted by the secondary, economic impacts of Ebola using a mix of targeted cash assistance, food vouchers, and U.S. and locally and regionally procured food assistance.

The United States is currently the largest donor of food assistance to Syria. USAID-funded programs help feed millions of refugees and internally displaced persons affected by the crisis in and around Syria. USAID works with the UN World Food Program (WFP) and other partners to most effectively deliver this lifesaving aid.

In Guatemala, USAID and Save the Children are fighting malnutrition and stunting in children by educating mothers on the importance of proper nutrition and growth monitoring during the first 1,000 days of a child's life.

Yemen, a nation plagued by conflict and poverty, currently ranks as the 7th most food-insecure country in the world. Nearly 42% of the population is considered food insecure and 47% of its children under 5 are stunted. Since the start of FY 2013, USAID has contributed over $61 million of life-supporting food assistance to WFP in Yemen. To see how USAID and WFP work together to combat food insecurity.

We are providing more effective food assistance:

Building on the latest in nutrition science, our in-kind food products are being reformulated and new products are being added to better meet the nutritional needs of vulnerable populations around the world.

USAID has adopted a state-of-the-art supply-chain management system that allows us to preposition food strategically, significantly reducing the amount of time it takes to reach people in need.

Since 2010, in-kind foods are now complemented by a cash-based emergency food security program that allows USAID to buy some food locally and regionally. The cash program also allows USAID to support interventions that enable hungry people to access local markets.

These tools are directed with the help of a state-of-the-art early-warning system that applies remote monitoring techniques with in-country data gathering and analysis in key food insecure locations. Today the USAID funded Famine Early Warning System (FEWS) is one of the most highly regarded early-warning systems in the world.

USDA's McGovern Dole and Food for Progress Programs

McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program

The McGovern-Dole Program helps support education, child development and food security in low-income, food-deficit countries around the globe. The program provides for the donation of U.S. agricultural commodities, as well as financial and technical assistance, to support school feeding and maternal and child nutrition projects.

The key objective of the McGovern-Dole Program is to reduce hunger and improve literacy and primary education, especially for girls. By providing school meals, teacher training and related support, McGovern-Dole projects help boost school enrollment and academic performance. At the same time, the program also focuses on improving children's health and learning capacity before they enter school by offering nutrition programs for pregnant and nursing women, infants and pre-schoolers.

Sustainability is an important aspect of the McGovern-Dole Program. FAS and its partner organizations work to ensure that the communities served by the program can ultimately continue the sponsored activities on their own or with support from other sources such as the host government or local community.

Food for Progress

The Food for Progress Program helps developing countries and emerging democracies modernize and strengthen their agricultural sectors. U.S. agricultural commodities donated to recipient countries are sold on the local market and the proceeds are used to support agricultural, economic or infrastructure development programs.

Food for Progress has two principal objectives: to improve agricultural productivity and to expand trade of agricultural products. Past Food for Progress projects have trained farmers in animal and plant health, improved farming methods, developed road and utility systems, established producer cooperatives, provided microcredit, and developed agricultural value chains. Program participants have included private voluntary organizations, foreign governments, universities, and intergovernmental organizations.

Resilience

USAID Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Strategy 2014-2025

USAID Policy on Gender and Female Empowerment