Friday, November 18, 2022

We are in the midst of one of the most significant global food crises the world has faced in recent memory. Economic disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, massive climate shocks, and the trade impacts of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine have reversed critical global development progress on poverty, hunger, and malnutrition. The implications for Feed the Future and its efforts to end global hunger are stark. According to the World Food Programme, 345 million people around the world are experiencing acute food insecurity, more than double pre-pandemic levels.

While the United States races to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance to those in immediate need, we know that the only way to break the cycle of food crises and sustainably end hunger and malnutrition is to invest in agricultural productivity and long-term food security.

While economic and societal disruptions have affected Feed the Future’s university and research partners, these partnerships (and particularly those with U.S. universities) continue to yield groundbreaking innovations that are critical to our shared goals of inclusive, agriculture-led growth, improved nutrition outcomes, and strengthened resilience. From the beginning of Feed the Future in 2010, U.S. universities have been key partners. Title XII of the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) of 1961, as amended, formalized a rich and productive relationship between USAID and U.S. universities in the food-security and agriculture sectors.

Universities continue to provide cutting-edge research and innovation, education and training, and additional partnerships that have driven policy changes, supported workforce development, and spurred economic growth and investment. The Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD), established by Title XII of the FAA, draws on U.S. university leaders to advise USAID on issues of agriculture, higher education, food insecurity, and nutrition.

Between Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 and FY 2021, USAID invested more than $5.4 billion in higher-education institutions (HEIs) in the United States and around the world, of which over 80 percent was awarded to U.S. universities defined under Title XII of the FAA. These investments advance knowledge and skills in agriculture, nutrition, health, education, water, and sanitation in partner nations. Notably, many Title XII universities lead Feed the Future Innovation Labs, which draw from the expertise of top U.S. faculty and host-country research institutions to generate solutions that reduce global hunger, poverty, and malnutrition. In FY 2021, there were 21 Feed the Future Innovation Labs working in 40 countries around the globe, involving more than 70 top U.S. colleges and universities and 130 partner-country research and educational institutions. Looking ahead, the Feed the Future interagency community plans to implement the updated U.S. Government Global Food Security Strategy 2022–2026 and the U.S. Global Water Strategy as well as launch the revised U.S. Government Global Food Security Research Strategy. These plans will guide Feed the Future’s work over the next five years by taking into account the major dislocations to global food security in recent years as well as evidence and lessons learned from the last five years of implementation. U.S. universities will remain our critical partners in these efforts.

Our partnerships with Title XII institutions will be more important than ever as the world looks for effective, innovative, and equitable solutions to drive what will be a long recovery from the global food crisis and its wide range of effects. For more than a decade, we have invested in agriculture-led growth, nutrition, and resilience to tackle the root causes of poverty, hunger, and malnutrition. Our work built a sustainable foundation for long-term global food security and continues to open new markets and increase demand for U.S. innovations. USAID is proud to partner with U.S. universities in our mission to end global hunger.

Samantha Power
USAID Administrator and Feed the Future Global Coordinator

Reports to Congress

Every year Congress asks the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to submit a series of reports on various matters of concern. In an effort to provide a maximum of transparency to the general public, these reports are now being made available at this web site.

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