Feed the Future at the 2024 Borlaug Dialogue

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Feed the Future: The U S Government's Global Hunger & Food Security Initiative

NOVEMBER 2024

Feed the Future at the Borlaug Dialogue

Feed the Future took center stage at the World Food Prize Foundation’s 2024 Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue, celebrating many accomplishments ranging from the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s new compact with Zambia to honoring the achievements of 2024 World Food Prize Laureate, Dr. Cary Fowler. Feed the Future Innovation Labs and other partners shared their transformative impacts on global hunger and food systems. We also launched “Meeting the Moment: The Feed the Future Interagency Report,” which features our work and impact over the past four years and outlines our renewed ambition. Check out our newsletter next month for a deeper dive into the report.

While there was much to celebrate, there is still much work to be done. Feed the Future continues to work with partner countries, donors and both the public and private sectors in the United States and abroad to accelerate transformational change. The Borlaug Dialogue helped set the stage for Feed the Future’s renewed ambitions, including the announcement of a new investment of more than $57.4 million to accelerate food security initiatives and advance novel climate-smart agricultural solutions to reduce global hunger, poverty and undernutrition. In this month’s newsletter, catch up on the latest Feed the Future news from the 2024 Borlaug Dialogue and beyond.

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Feed the Future congratulates Dr. Cary Fowler

Celebrating 2024 World Food Prize Laureate
Dr. Cary Fowler

Dr. Cary Fowler, U.S. Special Envoy for Global Food Security and Feed the Future Deputy Coordinator for Diplomacy, was honored as a 2024 World Food Prize Laureate alongside Dr. Geoffrey Hawtin. Both were recognized for their lifelong dedication to preserve and protect the world’s heritage of crop biodiversity, a critical resource to defend against threats to global food security.

Learn more about the Laureates

Spotlight on MCC Zambia Farm-to-Market Compact

Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Chief Executive Officer Alice Albright, Zambian Minister of Agriculture Hon. Reuben Mtolo Phiri, and Feed the Future Deputy Coordinator for Development Dina Esposito appeared at the 2024 Borlaug Dialogue to talk about the new MCC Zambia Farm-to-Market Compact. The Compact will contribute to Feed the Future’s mission by increasing market and service access for rural communities through the improvement of 210 miles of road and transportation infrastructure; increasing access to finance for investments in irrigation, storage and other vital infrastructure; and supporting policy reform and institutional strengthening to expand private sector investment and trade. With this announcement, MCC joins the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other Feed the Future partners that are investing more in Zambia as part of Feed the Future Accelerator, an effort that aims to boost agricultural production, fuel regional trade, and develop a regional breadbasket in southern Africa that will create jobs and drive down poverty, hunger and malnutrition.

Catch the Borlaug Dialogue recording

USAID Announces New Investment in Feed the Future Innovation Labs

The United States, through USAID, announced $57.4 million of new investments at the World Food Prize to accelerate food security initiatives and advance novel climate-smart agricultural solutions to reduce global hunger, poverty and undernutrition. More than half of the new funding will support research by new and existing Feed the Future Innovation Labs, which tap the best of U.S. university expertise and know how to help solve global hunger and malnutrition.

Read more

Doubling Down with the Feed the Future Accelerator

USAID Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman appeared on the Borlaug Dialogue mainstage to talk about the great need — and great potential — in Africa to fight hunger and build strong, sustainable food systems. She highlighted the Feed the Future Accelerator, which increases U.S. investments in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia and works with host governments, other donors and the private sector to help drive inclusive, agriculture-led growth and help these countries fulfill their potential as regional breadbaskets.

Watch her remarks

USDA Borlaug Dialogue Toplines

Tune into the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) roundup of news and events during the Borlaug Dialogue, which features clips of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in conversation with former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young and Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor. Their discussions cover the Food for Opportunity Program and other USDA international food assistance and trade programs.

Listen now

A Win-Win Private-Public Partnership for Women & Business

USAID and PepsiCo have a five-year partnership focused on investing in women to strengthen agricultural supply chains — and it is resulting in transformative impacts on women’s lives and increased resilience of PepsiCo supply chains. This partnership spans five potato-sourcing countries — India, Pakistan, Peru, Vietnam and Colombia — and has reached 6,000 people, including over 4,000 women, through training on sustainable agriculture practices, financial and digital literacy, and more.

Find out more

GROW Exceeds Investment Goals

The United States, through USAID, announced that it has exceeded its investment goals for Generating Resilience and Opportunities for Women (GROW). USAID launched GROW in April 2023 to help tackle urgent challenges faced by women in agrifood and water systems. GROW helps advance gender priorities in USAID’s agrifood and water systems and climate adaptation programs — a significant portion of which is provided through Feed the Future. The United States exceeded its original GROW Fiscal Year 2023 goal by $114 million, bringing the total dedicated in Fiscal Year 2023 to $449 million.

Read on

FASA Fund Takes a Step Forward

The United Kingdom and the Republic of Korea announced they would join the United States and Norway in theFinancing Agricultural Small-and-Medium Enterprises in Africa (FASA) Fund. FASA invests catalytic capital in funds focused on agri-SMEs across Africa, fostering business growth and building a robust ecosystem. The Fund is designed to help fill the estimated $100 billion financing gap in sub-Saharan Africa and unlock hundreds of millions of dollars more in financing for agri-SMEs by reducing the risk of investing in agriculture — a risky sector compared to others. Additionally, Investisseurs and Partenaires was chosen as the FASA Fund Manager, with the CGIAR Hub for Sustainable Finance joining as its agricultural and climate partner.