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USDA’s Food Aid Programs and the Faith-Based & Community Initiative (FBCI)

USDA’s Food Aid Programs and the Faith-Based & Community Initiative (FBCI)

Office of Capacity Building and Development

Foreign Agricultural ServiceU.S. Department of Agriculture

The FBC Initiative

Initiative was established by Executive Order on Dec. 12, 2002.

Focus of the Initiative, in relation to USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), is to identify and eliminate barriers that impede the full participation of faith based and community organizations in the Federal grants process.

Under the initiative, FAS is focusing on Providing training and technical assistance for all grant

applicants and participants Making information more accessible for all grant

applicants and participants Ensuring equal opportunity for all interested applicants

USDA Food Aid Programs

Food for Progress

McGovern-Dole International Food for Education & Child Nutrition Program (Food for Education)

Most agreements are implemented with PVOs and foreign governments

Commodities are usually monetized Commodities are also used for:

Barter Food for work Direct distribution

Food for Progress

Food for Progress ProjectsAgricultural Development

Soil and water conservation Improved farming methods Agricultural extension Animal and plant health Processing, storage and

marketing Roads and other

infrastructure Cooperative development Micro-credit and business

training

Best Practices / SuccessesTechnoServe, Food for Progress, Tanzania

Farmer Cooperative Captures Price Premiums for Tanzanian Coffee

Mary Msafiri (right) and other Mlimani Ng’arashi famers dry coffee processed at their Central Pulpery.

Supports education, child development, and food security

Targets low-income and food-deficit countries

Encourages health and nutrition compliments

Strives for sustainability

Food for Education

Best Practices / SuccessesFood for the Poor, School Feeding,

Guatemala

Alicia, 4, and Leidy, 3, were nursed back to health at a children’s home in Guatemala with nutritious foods provided by Food For The Poor Inc. under the FFE program.

USDA/FAS Grant Recipients

FY2002 - FY2007 USDA/FAS awarded grants to 78 cooperating sponsors

50 Private Voluntary Organizations 27 Foreign Governments WFP

PVO Partnerships

50 PVO grant recipients (FY2002-FY2007) About one quarter of PVO grant

recipients worked with more than 2 sub-grantees or implementing partners.

Over half of PVO grant recipients had at least one sub-grantee.

Less than one quarter of PVO grant recipients implemented programs solo.

Activities under FBCI

Participation: 40 percent of food aid grant recipients are faith based

or community organizationsOutreach: Major training session with annual food aid conference Special, intense proposal-writing sessions Individual mentoring with 15 organizations annually Actively linking large and/or experience with smaller

groupsLooking for Feedback: Identification of community or faith-based organizations Success stories

Getting the Message Out

Success Stories from Faith-based and Community Organizations are used for:

The FBCI Program Guide The FBCI website FBCI White House briefings Speeches

Please include any personal stories and photos!http://www.fas.usda.gov/FoodAidStories/

http://www.fas.usda.gov/FoodAidStories/

Success Story Website

Thank You & Enjoy the Conference

"As part of the President's Faith Based and Community Initiative, USDA is partnering with faith-based and community organizations to alleviate hunger and build strong communities. These efforts to equip and empower faith-based groups are strengthening services to communities in need through our child and adult food programs, rural development assistance opportunities and international hunger prevention programs.“

Former Secretary Mike Johanns U.S. Department of Agriculture