Feed the Future, an agency within the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) works to tackle food insecurity globally and invest in resilience allowing communities to bounce back from adversity. It prevents them from sliding back into poverty and works to alleviate the need for costly emergency relief when disaster strikes by adequately creating safeguards. Globally Feed the Future has accessed $4 billion in agricultural financing- which has spurned farmers generating $15.3 billion in revenue from their subsequent activities.

In partnering with governments and private entities, which globally have invested $2.2 billion, USAID has implemented policies and practices that have had real-world positive effects and 3 stories reflected from Kenya, Honduras and Nepal show just how these measures are unfolding on the ground. The following are some inspiring success stories in Feed the Future’s mission to tackle food insecurity that have empowered vulnerable individuals and through USAID measures, been able to create paths of their own on the journey of poverty alleviation.

Kenya: Veronica’s success

USAID is championing the development of entrepreneurship and leading to a culture of self-sufficiency. Feed the Future in conjunction with the Government of Kenya is working to make the market accessible, creating a safe, reliable and more equitable environment where hundreds of small traders can participate and create a self-sustaining livelihood. Veronica was a small business owner and is an example of the numerous success stories in Feed the Future’s mission to tackle food insecurity.

Furthermore, we see that the economic climate is not conducive to women’s success and the policy restricts women’s empowerment, we see that almost 100% of Kenya’s rural women work on farms but only 6% own titles to the land, restricting income capability and decision-making power.

Veronica, a proprietor in the Oldonyiro market previously expected to sell around one bag of flour every week. But after a $300 loan, to use in business activities, she was able to expand by buying valuable business assets such as a car, enabling her to bring more sellable produce to the market.

Furthermore, USAID installed roofing, to allow workers to work during heat and drought and incorporated drought detection systems to help sellers better manage produce.
Veronica has since been able to expand, selling maize, sugar and beans in addition to flour.
This has been crucial in helping her take care of her family, sending her children to school, feeding them and relieving the pains of poverty.

This is a key focus of the women entering the market. The hope is that women like this can expand their businesses and employ others in the community, thus creating a snowball effect in the mission to fight poverty.

Feed the Future: Nepal

In Nepal, 70% of its population generates income through agriculture, however, Nepal still struggles to produce an adequate, affordable supply of safe, nutritious food, with women and other disadvantaged groups being particularly afflicted. COVID-19’s movement restrictions severely disrupted food systems.

Amidst this unfortunate backdrop, there are indeed success stories in Feed the Future’s mission to tackle food insecurity. To protect progress and bolster food security, Feed the Future worked closely with Nepali farmers and business owners.

USAID has been working in Nepal to improve its resilience to external shocks and protect the population from exposure to food insecurity. USAID worked on facilitating livestock rearing, ultimately providing an income to rebuild homes. It also set up marketing chains, so that producers could have their foods delivered, this investment in the agriculture sector allowed for a rise in income whilst also maintaining an adequate food supply for the local population.

Honduras: Evelio’s success

Honduras, through a partnership with USAID, was able to establish market chains to establish demand for its small producers globally and worked also to connect them with processors in the next stage of work in the produce domestically. This is working to alleviate some of the challenges small agricultural producers face and to dampen external pressures from factors such as climate and is one of the success stories in Feed the Future’s mission to tackle food insecurity.

In Honduras, Evelio Miranda, who like other farmers is exposed to economic shocks, through the value of their produce, the price of coffee crashed domestically in 2018, which exposed Evelio and farmers alike to conditions of hardship. This forced individuals to look for work abroad, or a long commute from their home and made more acute the pains of food insecurity.

Through partnerships with the private sector orchestrated by USAID, farmers expanded their crop varieties to include those resilient to environmental shocks. One such collaboration involved EFI Solutions, a cosmetics firm, which supported the cultivation of cardamom by a farmer named Evelio. This initiative not only diversified Evelio’s farming activities but also enhanced the quality of his products and significantly increased his family’s income, showcasing the transformative power of targeted agricultural support.

Feed the Future: Advancing Global Food Security

Feed the Future, backed by USAID’s global efforts, continues to illuminate pathways out of poverty and food insecurity through innovative partnerships and investments in agricultural resilience. Success stories from Kenya, Honduras and Nepal exemplify the transformative impact of empowering local communities with the tools to build sustainable livelihoods. As these initiatives evolve, they hold the promise of fostering more equitable, productive and resilient food systems worldwide, ensuring a brighter future for vulnerable populations.

– Tevin Muendo
Photo: Flickr