Today in Arusha USAID Administrator Samantha Power announced $5 million in new funding to support Tanzania in becoming a fertilizer production hub, bolster production of wheat and sunflower seeds, and build capacity for food processing. This new investment in Tanzania is part of a broader $260 million surge in funding by the U.S. government to fight global hunger and food insecurity.
During her travel to Tanzania from June 22-23, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator and Feed the Future Global Coordinator Samantha Power announced an additional $5 million for Tanzania as part of U.S. government funding to address the global food crisis that has been exacerbated by Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine and the severe drought in the Horn of Africa region.
This new funding will be provided through Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global hunger initiative. To overcome the immediate food insecurity challenges and strengthen food systems to withstand new shocks, Feed the Future is expanding efforts to transform what the world grows, how it is grown, and who benefits. As part of this initiative to curb global hunger, USAID will provide an additional $5 million that will support Tanzania’s response to the global food crisis, exacerbated by the illegal Russian war on Ukraine.
The additional resources will be invested strategically to align with Tanzania’s ongoing effort to combat food insecurity. It will further Tanzania’s ability to domestically manufacture, blend, and export traditional and organic fertilizers and biochar. It will also support the generation and availability of wheat and sunflower seeds and greater efficiency in agricultural production through reduced food loss and waste. This will reduce Tanzania’s reliance on international markets and promote food security throughout East Africa. This brings
the total of USAID’s global food security crisis funding to Tanzania to $15 million.
This investment will support Tanzania in becoming a fertilizer production hub, bolster production of wheat and sunflower seeds, and build capacity for food processing. USAID has now committed more than $14 billion in humanitarian and development assistance since June 2022 in more than 47 countries to address the global food security crisis exacerbated by Putin’s brutal and unprovoked war on Ukraine.
This includes today’s announcement and the $2.76 billion that President Joe Biden announced during the G7 Leader’ Summit in June 2022 to respond to immediate needs as well as sustainable, near-term food assistance.
Since its inception, Feed the Future investments in Tanzania have helped lift 1.3 million people out of poverty and supported thousands of businesses to expand. Funded globally at more than $1 billion per year, Feed the Future has existing technical expertise, programs, and partners in more than 40 countries being leveraged to mitigate the impacts of these latest global shocks and address the root causes of poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.
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