An estimated 20,00 farmers across 21 Nepali districts lost access to quality seeds, irrigation technology, and other technical and market support following the closure of a Feed the Future program.

Date: 2/26

Region: South Asia

Country: Nepal

Topic: Food & Farming

Policy Lens: Economic & Trade Interests

Entry Type: Human Impact

Additional Context: This information was collected as part of The Aid Report's original feature story, "'I had no choice but to go abroad': US aid cuts hit Nepal’s farmers." Reporter Yam Kumari Kandel looked into the effects of the termination of USAID's agricultural initiative Feed the Future on the lives of rural farming communities.

Feed the Future was the U.S. government's flagship global food security initiative, working to raise farm incomes and strengthen supply chains globally. Related programs first began in Nepal in 2013. The program mentioned started in 2023 and was supposed to contiue through 2028 with $24.5 million expected over the life of the project. The program provided farmers with mentorship related to agricultural techniques and machinery, as well as subsidies for the production of certain goods such as maize. For maize farmers, for example, who relied on U.S. technical support for stable yields and subsidies, the cuts have upended income stability and livelihoods.

Source: Devex