Feed the Future Initiative facts for kids

The Feed the Future Initiative (FTF) is a program started by the United States government in 2010. Its main goal is to help end hunger and make sure people around the world have enough food. It was launched during the time of President Barack Obama.

This program began because food prices went up a lot in 2007 and 2008, making it hard for many people to eat. In 2009, President Obama promised a lot of money to fight hunger and poverty worldwide. The United States Department of State and USAID work together to run Feed the Future. Their main aims are to help farming grow, produce more food, and improve how well people eat, especially for women and children who need it most.

Why Feed the Future Started

About one billion people around the world face constant hunger. Many of these people live in places like Africa and Southeast Asia. Here, hunger often comes with poverty and other health problems.

The world's population is growing. Experts believe it will reach 9 billion people by 2050. This means the need for food will increase a lot. It could go up by 40% to 70% by 2050. This is why programs like Feed the Future are so important.

At a big meeting in Italy in 2009, President Obama announced a plan. The U.S. would commit over $10 billion to reduce hunger and poverty. Other countries also promised money, totaling over $20 billion. This global effort aimed to tackle food problems in a new way. It focused on helping countries create their own plans. It also looked at the main reasons for hunger and poverty.

How Feed the Future Works

The U.S. State Department leads the Feed the Future program. In 2009, they shared a plan for how the initiative would work. In 2010, it was officially named "Feed the Future." New guides were then created for different countries.

The program follows five key ideas for making sure people have enough food for a long time. These ideas were first shared at a global meeting in 2009. The U.S. government got ideas from many sources. This included other countries, charities, companies, and farmers.

Feed the Future's plan focuses on three main areas:

• Helping women and girls develop and succeed.
• Protecting the environment and how people interact with it.
• Dealing with climate change.

The two main goals of Feed the Future are:

• To help farming grow faster.
• To improve how well people eat in the countries they work with.

The program focuses on using local farming methods and tools. This helps farmers grow more food. It also helps improve local and international markets for the food they produce.

Feed the Future works differently in each country. This is because each country has its own plan. Local governments work with the U.S. government and other groups. Together, they create a nutrition plan for each country. They measure progress by looking at statistics. For example, they check if fewer children are stunted (too short for their age) or wasted (too thin). They also check if fewer women are underweight. These numbers show if nutrition is getting better.

Countries and Partners

Feed the Future currently works in 20 countries. These countries are in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

• Africa: DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia
• Asia: Bangladesh and Nepal
• Latin America and the Caribbean: Guatemala and Honduras

Countries are chosen based on five important rules:

• How much hunger and poverty there is in rural areas.
• How likely it is that farming can grow quickly and last a long time.
• Chances for countries in the same region to work together through trade.
• If the local government is committed and has good leadership.
• If there are enough resources and promises from the host country.

The 'Global Agriculture and Food Security Program' (GAFSP) helps fund the initiative. It is managed by the World Bank.

Many companies also partner with Feed the Future. Some examples include Bayer, Cargill, John Deere, Mars, Monsanto, OX Delivers, PepsiCo, Olam, and Starbucks.

How Feed the Future is Doing

In 2013, a report from the Government Accountability Office said that Feed the Future needed to keep checking risks. They warned that without this, money and effort could be wasted. A magazine called Mother Jones Magazine also questioned if the program was working as planned in 2013.

However, a report from Feed the Future in 2014 was more positive. It said the program was starting to build "a foundation for lasting progress against global hunger." This suggests the initiative is making real steps toward its goals.