By Leah Douglas
(Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Agency for International Development will distribute $1 billion in U.S. commodities to countries with high hunger rates, the agencies said on Thursday.
The countries that will receive the aid – including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Yemen, South Sudan, Sudan and Haiti – are among the countries most affected by hunger, according to the United Nations World Food Program.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Global hunger is getting worse: in 2023, there will be 745 million more people suffering from moderate to severe hunger worldwide than in 2015, meaning the world is not on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goal of ending hunger by 2030, according to the United Nations to achieve.
The causes of increased hunger are global conflicts, climate change and the long tail of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic for the world’s poor, the UN says.
Hunger is increasing most in Sub-Saharan Africa.
CONTEXT
The U.S.-grown commodities that must be purchased and shipped abroad include grains and beans, the USDA said.
The USDA will purchase the raw materials and USAID will distribute them, the agencies said.
The US is also facing high hunger rates due to the pandemic, and USDA has spent $2.3 billion on food purchases for schools and food banks in 2022.
IMPORTANT QUOTE
“With many millions of people around the world in dire need, America’s agriculture sector is well positioned to provide lifesaving food assistance,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement.
