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U.S. international food assistance to help 9.7 million people this year

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that international food assistance in fiscal year 2012 will benefit more than 9.7 million people worldwide under USDA’s Food for Progress and McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition programs.

Administered by the Foreign Ag Service, USDA purchases U.S. commodities and donates them to government agencies and private-voluntary organizations in targeted countries. Food for Progress recipients in developing countries and emerging democracies sell the commodities and use the funds to introduce and expand free enterprise in the agricultural sector. The McGovern-Dole Program focuses on low-income, food-deficit countries that are committed to universal education. Participants either use or sell the donated U.S. commodities to support education, child development, and food security.

The commodities USDA is donating include U.S.-produced corn-soy blend, cornmeal, dehydrated potato flakes, dried beans, lentils, rice, sorghum, soy oil, soybeans, soybean meal, vegetable oil and wheat.

Projections are for $158 million in food aid to benefit 6.95 million people in nine countries through the Food for Progress program. McGovern-Dole will provide $205.7 million in estimated value to assist 2.75 million people in fifteen countries.

A breakdown of the aid is available here: