7 New Feed the Future Programs Announced

WASHINGTON (DTN) -- The U.S. State Department announced seven new international agricultural innovation labs to be hosted by land-grant universities, restoring a global research network that faced 20 months of uncertainty following cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development in February 2025.

The Feed the Future Innovation Labs, which support agricultural research and development in foreign countries, have the end goal of improving food security while expanding markets for U.S. agricultural products.

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities estimates they have generated an estimated $8 in impact for every $1 invested, producing more than $8 billion in total impacts.

When funding termination notices arrived in early 2025, the cuts affected 16 long-standing Feed the Future research programs. One lab remained: the Climate-Resilient Cereals Innovation Lab at Kansas State University.

This year, Congress appropriated an additional $72 million for the innovation labs in fiscal year 2026.

The seven newly announced programs are:

-- Fertilizer and Soil Health Innovation Lab at Auburn University

-- Securing Agriculture Food and Economy (SAFE) Feed the Future Innovation Lab for High-Value Crops at the University of Florida

-- Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Peanut at the University of Georgia

-- Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Coffee and Cacao at the University of Hawaii

-- Sustainable Intensification of Targeted Agricultural Systems Innovation Lab (SITAS-IL) at Kansas State University

-- Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish at Mississippi State University

-- Feed the Future Animal Health Innovation Lab at Washington State University

Although the labs will be based at seven universities, they will partner with 24 additional universities.

"Vibrant markets, resilient ag systems, and access to innovation can help countries transition from food assistance to feeding their own people and not relying on American taxpayer dollars," a U.S. State Department official said during the online announcement.

The Farm Journal Foundation, an advocate for international agricultural research and development, hosted the announcement. The foundation also released a report last month arguing that food security can help lay the groundwork for commercial market development.

"If we were to see a total reduction in a lot of these programs (Feed the Future Labs), then that could risk some of the long-term market development," Shawn Arita, economist at North Dakota State University, said in the report.

See, "Report: Food Aid, Trade Policies Need Better Alignment for Growth," https://www.dtnpf.com/….

The applications for the funds were released on Feb. 20, the announcement said it would fund up to seven programs, with a total of $64 million available. $8 million had already been allocated to the existing Climate-Resilient Cereals Innovation Lab at Kansas State University.

The State Department received "a lot of applications," and officials said decisions were made through a "rigorous, merit-based" process that adhered to best practices for procurement integrity.

The Trump administration has also acknowledged that it denies funding for what it calls "woke, weaponized, and wasteful spending" in early 2025 executive orders.

This definition includes climate change and equity, areas that the innovation labs have historically addressed.

Jake Zajkowski can be reached at jake.zajkowski@dtn.com

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