At the United Nations Food Systems Summit on Thursday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture highlighted $5 billion in planned investments and several steps it has taken to advance the goals of ending hunger and malnutrition and building more sustainable, resilient and inclusive food systems.
For the Summit, USDA led U.S. efforts to promote the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate, or AIM4C, with the goal of dramatically increasing public and private investment in climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation.
USDA also announced the formation of the Coalition of Action on Sustainable Productivity Growth for Food Security and Resource Conservation (SPG Coalition). This global, multi- sector coalition will accelerate the transition to more sustainable food systems through agricultural productivity growth that optimizes the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability.
To help ensure that every child has access to nutritious school meals by 2030, USDA is leading U.S. participation in the coalition on School Meals: Nutrition, Health and Education for Every Child, which supports comprehensive and effective school feeding programs worldwide by advocating for multi-sector coordination, stable funding sources and ongoing research to improve program quality and efficiency.
The United States, led by USDA, is also supporting the global Food is Never Waste Coalition, and reaffirming its commitment to reducing food loss and waste domestically.
USDA plans to invest $5 billion from the American Rescue Plan and from pandemic assistance funds, of which $4 billion is to strengthen food systems through support for food production and improved processing, distribution, and market opportunities. The additional $1 billion is to help bridge the gap from pandemic assistance to food systems transformation by supporting more efficient systems and infrastructure to ensure access to healthy diets for all.
