In a time marked by global challenges to food availability and affordability, Feed the Future is making tangible strides to help communities around the world achieve long-term food security. These efforts go beyond ensuring healthy food is on the table — they also advance gender equality and build resilience in local and global food systems. Ultimately, Feed the Future’s ongoing commitment, as evidenced by the following stories, serves as a model for what’s possible when we work together to build a healthier, more equitable world. The following are the five most read stories on our website, plus some you might have missed.

Our Most Popular Stories

1. Dina Esposito, Feed the Future Deputy Coordinator for Development and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Assistant to the Administrator for the Bureau for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security, writes about how USAID and Feed the Future are taking action for women in agrifood systems.
2. A group of women farmers in Nigeria is playing a pivotal role in lessening hunger and increasing income levels in their community. Their success is boosted by mobile technology, which is connecting them to a variety of resources such as financing, technical support, and links to markets.
   

   Attendees of a meeting with the farmers’ association in the Ahafo region in Ghana, during a data collection phase on selected indigenous vegetables. Credit: Dr. Gloria Essilfie.

3. Across Africa, four scientists, with the help of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture, are driving locally led research to boost indigenous crops to improve gender disparities for women in horticulture and diversify diets for better nutrition and soil health.
4. A Q&A with USAID Chief Nutritionist Patrick Webb highlights that ending hunger isn’t only about providing enough calories — it’s about delivering the right nutrients.
5. Honduras faces high levels of food insecurity, which affects about 25 percent of its population. An Inter-American Foundation grant is helping an indigenous women’s grassroots association support farmers in reducing hunger and malnutrition, and improving quality of life for themselves, their families, and their communities.
   

   Members of Asociación de Mujeres Intibucanas Renovadas (AMIR) show the range of products the cooperative is producing. Photo credit: AMIR.

In Case You Missed It

Last year, we announced our intention to “double down” on food security with the Feed the Future Accelerator. This initiative aims to deepen the U.S. government’s food security partnerships and mobilize resources in three countries in Southern and Eastern Africa — Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia — selected for their significant agricultural potential. Learn more about the opportunities in these countries through a trio of stories highlighting Feed the Future’s innovative work and impact:

• Feed the Future Innovation Lab Working to Keep Malawi Women Thriving in Groundnut Farming
• Utilizing PlantVillage AI Technology – and Young People – in Zambia to Increase Food Security and Combat Climate Change
• Female Farmer in Tanzania Leads Agricultural Innovation and Helps Others Grow.

In 2023, Feed the Future committed to doing even more to enhance women’s productivity and empowerment in agri-food systems. Coinciding with the release of the 2024 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ (FAO) “Status of Women in Agrifood Systems” report, USAID announced Generating Resilience and Opportunities for Women (GROW). GROW committed USAID to more than double investments focused on women’s economic empowerment to some $335 million in FY23 funds through Feed the Future and USAID water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and adaptation activities. Not only did GROW meet its target, it exceeded it by $114 million for a total of $449 million dedicated to tackling the urgent challenges faced by women in agri-food and water systems. Today roughly one of every four FTF dollars directly supports this agenda.

We also witnessed the expansion of the Financing Agricultural Small-and-Medium Enterprises in Africa (FASA) Fund, with the United Kingdom and the Republic of Korea signing on as new donors. FASA spurs investment in Africa’s agricultural growth by capitalizing funds to finance the continent’s agricultural small and medium enterprises (agri-SMEs). These new financial commitments build on the $70 million contributed by USAID and the Government of Norway, bringing FASA closer to its goal of mobilizing $200 million in multi-donor contributions.

Our Renewed Ambition

Looking ahead, Feed the Future will build on its legacy of impact while adapting to a more complex world. We will continually monitor and evaluate our programming and investments to ensure we can meet the moment and continue our work to build equitable, sustainable and resilient food systems that address the root causes of hunger, malnutrition, and extreme poverty. Learn more about our ambitious 2030 performance targets and how we are adapting to a rapidly changing global context by exploring “Meeting the Moment: The Feed the Future Interagency Report.”