By Shelby Shank
Field Editor

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to distribute more than 200,000 tons of international food aid with purchases of U.S.-grown commodities through the Food for Peace program by March.

USDA temporarily assumed management of Food for Peace from the State Department under an interagency agreement signed in December. They are partnering with the World Food Program to distribute emergency food and nutrition assistance in seven countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Kenya and Rwanda.

The agency signed an agreement in principle to commit up to $432 million to support the effort and an additional $20 million has been set aside to help launch the program. Any unused funds would also be directed toward food assistance.

USDA expects to buy over 200,000 tons of U.S. commodities, including 45,000 tons of rice, 37,000 tons of cornmeal, 36,000 tons of sorghum, 31,000 tons of wheat, 13,000 tons of yellow split peas, 12,000 tons of vegetable oil and 22,000 tons of specialized nutritious food.

The commodities will be purchased using fiscal year 2025 funding, and the department also has $1.2 billion in Food for Peace funding available in fiscal year 2026.

“USDA anticipates issuing this initial Food for Peace award to World Food Program, which will lead to purchases of bulk and formulated U.S. agricultural commodities by March,” USDA said.

Food for Peace is statutorily assigned to the U.S. Agency for International Development, but when the Trump administration closed the agency in July, the program was moved under the State Department’s authority.

Industry groups and lawmakers pushed to move the program to USDA, arguing the department’s experience with the McGovern-Dole and Food for Progress programs makes it a more natural fit.

Under the new agreement, World Food Program will procure commodities of 100% U.S. origin, continue compliance measures to prevent waste, fraud and abuse and advance efforts to reduce long-term dependency on foreign aid.

“Under USDA, the Food for Peace program will benefit American farmers and producers and help people in need around the world in a way that respects hardworking American taxpayers,” USDA said.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas said lawmakers are pushing efforts to advance this legislation, while U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson said he would like to include the change in the farm bill.