U.S. Food Aid in Transition

The U.S. approach to food aid evolved over decades, shifting from surplus commodity distribution to include resilience and research. Programs such as Feed the Future and Food for Peace increasingly focused on longer-term aims, including supporting agricultural production, strengthening local markets, and weaving nutrition and climate resilience into food systems. The USDA also funded initiatives such as McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Food for Progress.

In 2025, the entire framework was abruptly upended by sweeping foreign assistance cuts under the Trump administration. Roughly $1 billion in Feed the Future programming was halted, and significant portions of Food for Peace were affected. Most Resilience and Food Security Activities (RFSAs) were canceled in early 2025, with the remainder ordered to close by October 2026. Some interventions — including production of ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF) and funding for the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) — resumed following short-term disruption.

Lawmakers approved $1.2 billion for Food for Peace and $720 million for Feed the Future, yet the system delivering that funding is in flux. Food for Peace moved from USAID to the USDA, raising concern about how it will be managed at an agency without a humanitarian mandate. The Feed the Future Innovation Lab network was reduced from 17 programs to one, with new calls expected to fund seven.

These changes coincide with ongoing pressures on global food systems: conflict affecting supply chains and input costs, persistent drought conditions, and access constraints in countries such as Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia.