Our top story today gave me a bit of deja vu. We’ve been following USAID’s inability to make key changes called for by the U.S. government watchdog to its Feed the Future program since the recommendations were made in 2021.
Now, nearly two years later, USAID is still failing to properly implement the recommendations from the Government Accountability Office. GAO said in a letter to USAID Administrator Samantha Power that her “personal attention” was required to improve the agency’s ability to assess progress on the U.S. government’s flagship food security initiative.
Feed the Future operates in 20 countries and helps people improve their agricultural production and access to markets, strengthen resilience to shocks, and access proper nutrition. So what’s missing? According to GAO, measurable performance goals that would allow the agency to assess its progress on achieving Feed the Future’s objectives, along with programwide targets for performance indicators — seemingly key pieces to determine if the initiative is having the intended results.
About the author
Teresa Welshtmawelsh
Teresa Welsh is a Senior Reporter at Devex. She has reported from more than 10 countries and is currently based in Washington, D.C. Her coverage focuses on Latin America; U.S. foreign assistance policy; fragile states; food systems and nutrition; and refugees and migration. Prior to joining Devex, Teresa worked at McClatchy's Washington Bureau and covered foreign affairs for U.S. News and World Report. She was a reporter in Colombia, where she previously lived teaching English. Teresa earned bachelor of arts degrees in journalism and Latin American studies from the University of Wisconsin.
