Background

USAID's Food for Peace (FFP) program focuses on reducing food insecurity in Ghana, especially in the north where the country's most vulnerable population resides. About 80 percent of the food is sold and the rest distributed for direct feeding to farmers, schools, people living with HIV/AIDS, malnourished children, and other vulnerable groups. Funds generated from the sale of food are used to support sustainable development projects, such as training in improved methods of farming, micro-credit to farmers to increase rural income, and digging wells. The food security program is cross-cutting, supporting the promotion of health, private sector competitiveness, trade, agriculture and education.

Presently, USAID/Washington FFP is prioritizing support to countries facing emergency needs worldwide, necessitating the phase-out of non-emergency food security development programs, such as the one in Ghana. USAID/Ghana has started phasing-out its food aid program as of October 2006 to be completed by 2009.

USAID/Ghana Food for Peace activities include:

Increasing agricultural production and income for poor farmers: USAID trains and supports rural farmers to use high yielding seeds to increase production. USAID also facilitates farmers' access to inputs and extension services, and supports them to build improved local silos/cribs to reduce post harvest losses.

Increasing access of communities to safe water: USAID supports rural communities to dig wells and boreholes to increase access to safe water. Community members are trained to manage water and sanitation activities in their communities.

Improving and sustaining school attendance: Primary school children receive hot lunches in the three northern regions. The school feeding program improves and sustains school enrollment and attendance. Girls are provided take-home food rations every month to encourage their families to continue sending them to school.

Improving access to care and support for the highly vulnerable: USAID provides food items to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs), AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children, helping them to lead their lives with dignity. USAID also organizes associations of PLWHAs, orphans and vulnerable children groups which receive basic care and psychosocial as well as educational support.

Key achievements of USAID/Ghana Food for Peace program in 2007:

• USAID assisted in controlling a threat by fly infestation to mangos, thereby maintaining Ghana's smallholder competitiveness and increasing export sales from $43,000 in 2006 to $403,000 in 2007.

• More than 220,000 school children in food insecure regions of northern Ghana benefited from USAID school-lunch.

• USAID promoted a new corn variety whose yield and net revenue per hectare was double those of the traditional species, and linked 125 producers to the feed milling industry.

• USAID provided more than 90,000 people access to improved drinking water and sanitation services, resulting in expanded small-scale food processing and enhanced food security among beneficiary communities.