WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that they have taken over the administration of the Food for Peace Program, the cornerstone of American international food assistance, formerly operated by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The program is being rebranded as America First International Food Assistance.
USDA intends to enter into an agreement with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to deliver up to $452 million in fiscal year (FY) 2025 Food for Peace assistance. The funding will help U.S. producers move American-grown food to people in need around the world, sending nearly 211,000 tons of U.S. agricultural goods to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Kenya, and Rwanda.
Approximately 45,000 tons of U.S. milled rice will be among the key commodities being procured by USDA and distributed by WFP to the markets in Africa, as El Salvador, Guatemala, and Haiti are all existing commercial markets for U.S. rice.
USDA’s America First approach requires WFP and all partners of USDA-administered international assistance programs to adopt reforms, including procurement of commodities of 100 percent U.S. origin; institution of strict accountability measures to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse; and reduction of long-term dependency on foreign aid.
“This announcement has been in the works for many months and could not have come at a better time,” said USA Rice President & CEO Peter Bachmann. “While the U.S. rice industry has long been involved in supporting Food for Peace program recipients, the program has essentially been dormant for the last year while the Administration reviewed and evaluated program efficiencies. We are grateful for the Administration taking this step and grabbing the reins to administer it moving forward.”
USDA anticipates issuing this initial America First International Food Assistance award to WFP, which will lead to purchases of bulk and formulated U.S. agricultural commodities by March. Additional awards will be posted publicly as funds become available.
USA Rice has supported legislation since 2023 to significantly reform U.S. international food aid (see
USA Rice Daily, June 22, 2023) and in 2025, began advocating for legislation that would transfer the administration of Food for Peace to USDA (see
USA Rice Daily, September 19, 2025). USA Rice along with other commodity organizations will continue to advocate for the official movement of the program throughout 2026.