The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Ireland’s international development programme, Irish Aid, announced funding to build more sustainable food systems to help fight global hunger and prevent the next food crisis in sub-Saharan Africa. This announcement builds on the long-standing partnership between the United States and Ireland to combat global hunger and food insecurity.

In a new co-partnership that invests over $75 million in sub-Saharan Africa, USAID will work with Congress to provide $38.6m and Irish Aid will contribute at least $37m to support the transformation of food systems to become more climate resilient, provide more nutritious food to the population, create a green energy transition from agricultural waste, and support sustainable economic growth, including increased income for farmers, including female farmers.

As part of this investment, USAID, Ireland, private sector businesses and institutions like the International Centre for Potatoes, the Feed the Future Innovation Lab, and Sustainable Food Systems Ireland will launch an Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) Innovation Sprint to help transform Malawi’s food system to be more climate resilient and productive, and to increase smallholder farmers-including female farmers- income. 

These efforts are expected to leverage more than $200 million in private-sector funding.

"Our partnership in sub-Saharan Africa builds upon long-standing cooperation in nutrition and food security. Last year, for example, Administrator Samantha Power led a call to action and USAID contributed $200m to initiate a pledging effort for donors to respond to the global food crisis, to which Ireland contributed €50 million ($54 million)," USAID said.

USAID’s $200 million investment enabled an additional 2.5 million children to be treated for severe wasting in 13 countries. Ireland's $54 million investment will help reach up to 500,000 additional children with services for the early detection, prevention, and treatment of wasting.

Ireland’s own history with famine has driven the country’s leadership to combat global hunger and child wasting.

The Irish commitment to prevent others from suffering famine has resulted in the country’s outsized impact in the spaces of nutrition, food security, and increasingly gender responsive climate action and food systems transformation.

"USAID and Irish Aid will continue to partner against food insecurity. These commitments represent Ireland’s and the United States’ shared values, partnership, leadership, and commitment to people facing severe malnutrition and threat of famine," USAID said.