USAID Deputy Administrator Bonnie Glick Announces New Partnerships With the Feed the Future Innovation Labs

These Critical Investments Continue to Redefine What Is Possible in the Effort to End Hunger and Poverty and Are Increasingly Important in the Face of COVID-19 and Its Impact on Food Security

Today, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Administrator Bonnie Glick will announce four new partnerships under Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative.  The Deputy Administrator will make the announcement during a virtual event at which Congressional supporters and partners across the development community will celebrate the critical role of research and innovation in ending global hunger.  USAID’s 21 Feed the Future Innovation Labs, led by U.S. universities, work on food-security and nutrition challenges in our partner countries with local researchers and institutions.  These critical investments continue to redefine what is possible in the effort to end hunger and poverty and are increasingly important in the face of COVID-19 and its impact on food security.

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Deputy Administrator Glick will announce the following partnerships:

Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Animal Health

USAID has awarded $6 million to Washington State University to lead a new Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Animal Health, with an additional $10 million in potential funding.  The Lab will leverage Washington State University’s expertise in animal health to develop programs and solutions to combat East Coast Fever, a lethal livestock disease in East Africa that threatens food security and nutrition.

International Research Grants from the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Crop Improvement 

The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Crop Improvement, led by Cornell University, has achieved a major milestone by awarding $4 million in research grants to national research centers.  These Centers of Innovation, located in the Republics of Costa Rica, Malawi, Sénégal and Uganda, will undertake cutting-edge research on crop improvement to connect plant-breeding efforts with market demand to get new and better seeds to smallholder farmers.

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Innovation to Impact Initiative

USAID has awarded $1 million to the Feed the Future Soybean Innovation Lab, led by the University of Illinois, to launch the Innovation to Impact initiative, a platform designed to fully unlock the potential of innovative technologies and make them accessible to farmers to advance global food security.  The initiative will span beyond research in soybeans to leverage the Lab’s expertise in effectively commercializing new technologies.

Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems

USAID has extended the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems, led by the University of Florida, for five more years.  The Lab leverages the University of Florida’s expertise to improve livestock productivity and encourage healthier diets through the consumption of nutritious foods.

Deputy Administrator Glick will make the announcements at a Congressional event on the Feed the Future Innovation Labs today, September 17, 2020, from 3-4 p.m., EDT. Interested parties can join the event virtually via Zoom.