LUSAKA – The United States’ Special Envoy for Global Food Security Dr. Cary Fowler and USAID Global Food Crisis Coordinator and Acting Assistant to the Administrator for the Bureau of Resilience and Food Security Dina Esposito visited Zambia January 15-18 to meet with government officials and private sector representatives to discuss the regional food security crisis, nutrition issues in Zambia as well as how the U.S. government can partner with Zambians to confront these challenges.
Special Envoy Fowler and Coordinator Esposito met with Vice President Mutale Nalumango, Minister of Agriculture Reuben Mtolo Phiri, and the Acting Minister of Green Economy and Environment to explore opportunities for the United States to further partner with the Zambian government to increase and diversify agricultural production and trade in Zambia.
Special Envoy Fowler and Coordinator Esposito also met with the Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI) to discuss agriculture subsidy programs and how U.S. Embassy funded programs can advocate for policy reforms that benefit farmers and exporters. They then visited two local companies, 260 Brands and NewGrowCo Zambia, to see firsthand how Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global food security initiative led by USAID, is partnering with the private sector to support Zambia in modernizing its agricultural sector, accelerating the agro-processing industry, boosting agricultural exports, and creating jobs for young people and women. They also toured the seed warehouse of AFRISEED, a local woman-led seed company supported by USAID, where they learned how the company provides delivery of improved stress-tolerant seed varieties to smallholder farmers, helping strengthen climate resilient agriculture.
The two U.S. government officials met with representatives from the private sector, other donors, and implementing partners to discuss how Zambia is promoting agriculture-led economic growth that supports domestic and regional food security. They also visited the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Plant Genetic Resources Center to learn how it is preserving their plant genetic resources for future generations. The SADC seed label was developed with support from the U.S. government through the USAID Feed the Future Seed Trade Project, which facilitates efficient seed movement and trade across the region.
Dr. Fowler and Coordinator Esposito will travel next to Lilongwe, Malawi to continue conversations about the global food security crisis and how the United States is building bridges across the private sector, government, and civil society to deliver sustainable and equitable solutions to addressing hunger and poverty.
Top USAID Assistant to the Administrator on Resilience and Food Security visits USAID-supported Farm in Village E, Chongwe (1/16).
Holding corn tree: Dina Esposito, Assistant to the Administrator, USAID Bureau of Resilience and Food Security
Helen Khunga Chirwa, Nutrition Advisor, USAID.