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USDA will provide $466.5 million in FY 2024 funding to strengthen global food security through the McGovern-Dole and Food for Progress programs, Secretary Vilsack announced today.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is accepting fiscal year 2024 applications for the Food for Progress Program. This Program supports agricultural development activities in countries and emerging democracies that are committed to introducing and expanding free enterprise in the agricultural sector.

USDA and USAID will deploy $1 billion in Commodity Credit Corporation funding to purchase U.S.-grown commodities to provide emergency food assistance to people in need throughout the world.

For almost 50 years, Bangladesh required U.S. cotton be fumigated because of concerns about the boll weevil. Collaboration between USDA agencies and the Bangladesh Ministry of Agriculture resulted in amended import requirements, exempting the United States from the list of countries required to fumigate cotton upon arrival.

FAS has designated Benin, Cambodia, Madagascar, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Tunisia as priority countries for the Food for Progress program in FY 2024.

USDA, through its administration of the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition (McGovern-Dole) Program, is the largest global donor to school feeding efforts, providing U.S. agricultural commodities, funding, and technical assistance to reduce hunger, support nutrition, and improve literacy and primary education, especially for girls, around the world.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor will lead the agribusiness trade mission to New Delhi, India, from April 22-25, 2024. USDA is now accepting applications from U.S. exporters who wish to join this delegation.

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack today announced the United States is investing $455 million to strengthen global food security and international capacity-building efforts.

For FY 2023, USDA anticipates awarding up to $224 million in new McGovern-Dole cooperative agreements. USDA has identified the following as priority countries for FY 2023: Cameroon, Haiti, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, and Togo.

FAS is awarding $300,000 to six U.S. universities – including three minority-serving institutions – for research and educational partnerships focused on climate-smart agriculture in tropical countries.

Throughout 2021, FAS was proud to support USDA's efforts to create more and better markets for U.S. agriculture, to address the climate crisis, and to promote nutrition and food security.

Secretary Vilsack highlights key USDA accomplishments – including FAS's global leadership – to create more and better markets for U.S. agriculture in 2021.