(Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd June, 2023) The US is providing an additional $260 million as a part of the government's response to the global food security crisis, USAID Administrator and Feed the Future Global Coordinator Samantha Power said in a press release Thursday.
"This comes at a critical time as new interlocking and compounding shocks exacerbate existing food needs, with an estimated 768 million people already facing chronic hunger," the release said. "This new funding will be provided through Feed the Future, the U.S. government's global hunger initiative."
Power who is visiting Tanzania, said the money will help eliminate what she called immediate food insecurity challenges.
"To withstand new shocks, Feed the Future is expanding efforts to transform what is grown, how it's grown, and who benefits," the release said. "As part of this effort, the United States will make investments to bolster its regional and bilateral programs as well as its agricultural and nutrition efforts in countries across Africa and Asia that have been hardest hit by the crisis."
USAID said the money will be used across a range of issues.
"This new aid assistance will include programs to leverage the private sector; boost local fertilizer production and improve soil health - including through the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils; increase food yields by helping farmers adopt climate-smart practices; increase water access for farming communities; reduce food loss and strengthen food market systems; and fight and prevent malnutrition," the release said.
Power said this new funding is a vitally important facet of America's response to the global food security crisis because it is helping experts and those on the ground find solutions to the persistent fertilizer shortage, broadening investments to leverage farmers' agricultural capacity and resilience, and proving a financial cushion against "the impact of macroeconomic shocks."
The US government said USAID has committed more than $14 billion in humanitarian and development assistance since June 2022 to more than 47 countries.
This includes the amount announced today, plus the $2.76 billion that President Joe Biden declared during the G7 Leaders' Summit last summer in response to what the US identified as the "immediate needs as well as sustainable, near-term food assistance."
