US Feed the Future ramps up investments in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia

The United States has committed $80 million to support farmers in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia — an investment that aims to spare half a million people in the region from chronic hunger. The commitment is at the heart of a new “accelerator” program, one that will operate through the U.S. government’s flagship hunger initiative, Feed the Future. Through targeted commitments in the three countries, U.S. officials said the accelerator will bring new seed varieties, fertilizer approaches, and market access to farmers, while also strengthening the infrastructure around each country’s food system — from roads to irrigation to grain storage. “We have run the numbers, and we are placing bets on three countries that have both high need and extraordinary potential to increase agricultural productivity,” said USAID Administrator Samantha Power at a launch event for the accelerator on Thursday which was hosted by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition in Washington, D.C. For Power, the accelerator’s approach is reminiscent of the movie “Moneyball,” which tells the story of how a baseball team — the Oakland A’s — used data to scout for overlooked players. Through rigorous analysis, the team built a competitive roster without breaking the bank, Power explained, ultimately revolutionizing the way the sport was played. “It’s a stretched analogy, perhaps for some,” said Power, as those in the room laughed. “But as you hear more, you’ll understand why the analogy actually works, this is exactly the type of success story we are hoping to write with Feed the Future. We know that when we make small, targeted investments, we can transform entire food systems.” In the wake of increasing climate crises and lasting economic shocks, for many, that transformation has never seemed more important. In Malawi, more than half of the population was severely food insecure in 2021, according to the latest World Bank data, while in Zambia and Tanzania, the percentage was 32% and 26%, respectively. “Over the last few years, the combination of COVID and conflicts and climate change has eroded decades of forward progress on food security,” said Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security adviser, at the launch event. “Taken together, these challenges have compounded the global food crisis, and they’ve exposed realities that demand new strategies and solutions to achieve the same goals we’ve always had.” Today, the African continent holds 60% of the world’s arable land, Sullivan explained, along with “enormous untapped potential” to combat food insecurity. On top of that, there’s the government buy-in: Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia all have leaders willing to attract agricultural investment and increase regional trade, Sullivan said. In part, that’s due to the overwhelming share of agricultural workers in each country: in Zambia alone, nearly 72% of the country’s population is engaged in agricultural activities, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. “There's no doubt it will take effort, but these three countries and our investments can create food sources closer to the people who need it the most,” he added. The accelerator will bring the total Feed the Future portfolio in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia to $577 million, a USAID spokesperson told Devex on Thursday, with money pooled from both USAID and the U.S. State Department. Another $150 million of investment is coming from the private sector, the spokesperson said, with Power expanding on many of those partners at the launch. Global food supplier OFI, for example, will be putting $80 million toward coffee supply chains in Tanzania and Zambia. Pharmaceutical company Bayer, for another, will be investing in a $35 million seed production facility in Zambia. “We hope that this is only going to snowball. And we expect it will,” said Power.