USDA Food for Peace Awards: What They Mean for African NGOs
By News

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has earmarked $357 million in US-sourced food aid for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya and Haiti, Devex reported on 10 October 2026. The funds are slated for four partners: Action Against Hunger, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP). The announcement is the latest step in the reshaped Food for Peace programme, now run by USDA rather than USAID, and it has implications for how emergency food assistance is planned, procured and staffed across East and Central Africa.

What has been announced

According to Devex, WFP is set to receive more than 40% of the total, or $147 million, for food assistance in the DRC, Ethiopia and Haiti. If the agreements proceed, the package would provide nearly 130,000 tons of grains, pulses and ready-to-use therapeutic foods. Devex notes that the agreements are not yet final: a USDA spokesperson confirmed this, and the publication does not set out how the remainder of the funding is divided between partners or how much is allocated to Kenya.

The October funding follows an earlier tranche. In February, World Food Program USA announced that USDA intended to enter an agreement for up to $452 million in food aid delivered through WFP in seven countries: the DRC, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Kenya and Rwanda. That package covered more than 200,000 tons of US-grown commodities, including wheat, Corn-Soy Blend Plus, pulses, rice, sorghum, vegetable oil and ready-to-use supplementary foods.

Context: Food for Peace under a new department

Food for Peace has operated since 1954. According to an analysis published by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in June, the $1.2 billion programme was moved from USAID to USDA through an interagency agreement in December 2025. The CFR piece states that the first tranche required 100% US-origin commodities, while the $357 million second tranche was announced as competitive grants on 13 May 2026, with a requirement that half of grant funds go to US commodities and freight.

The change of department has prompted debate. Supporters in Congress, such as Representative Tracey Mann, quoted by CFR, framed the move as a way “to cut wasteful spending” and reduce bureaucracy. The CFR author, Sam Vigersky, argued in his opinion piece that the country list at the time bypassed several places closest to famine, including Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia. Since then, CRS has announced a separate $235 million Food for Peace agreement with USDA, in July 2026, covering emergency assistance in Ethiopia and Sudan.

What it means for the sector and affected communities

For communities in the DRC, Ethiopia and Kenya, the funding offers a measure of continuity at a time when many humanitarian operations have faced deep cuts. World Food Program USA noted earlier this year that WFP had cut rations for nearly 800,000 refugees across 27 camps in Ethiopia in October 2025, and that about 26 million people in the DRC face crisis-level hunger, with nearly half of children under five stunted.

For implementing organisations, the shift towards US-sourced commodities has operational consequences. In-kind food aid involves longer supply chains than cash or local procurement, with greater emphasis on shipping, port clearance, warehousing, quality control and commodity accounting. The inclusion of ready-to-use therapeutic foods also means nutrition programmes will need the clinical and community capacity to deliver them. And because the agreements were not final at the time of reporting, partners may need to plan for possible changes in timing or scale.

Speaking about the July agreement, CRS President and CEO Sean Callahan said it came “at a critical moment for struggling families in Sudan and Ethiopia”.

What this means for NGO job seekers

Large in-kind food programmes tend to create demand in a specific set of roles. Job seekers in East and Central Africa may see openings for:

  • Commodity, supply chain and logistics officers, including port, warehouse and transport management, and commodity tracking systems.
  • Food distribution and programme officers who can manage targeting, registration and distribution sites.
  • Nutrition staff experienced with ready-to-use therapeutic and supplementary foods.
  • Grants and compliance specialists familiar with US government donor rules, sourcing requirements and reporting.
  • Accountability and MEAL officers handling post-distribution monitoring and community feedback mechanisms.

Practical tip: highlight measurable logistics experience on your CV (tonnage handled, number of distribution sites managed, loss rates reduced) and any experience of donor compliance audits. These details are what hiring managers in food assistance programmes look for.

Explore vacancies on our NGO jobs in Ethiopia, NGO jobs in Kenya and NGO jobs in the DRC pages, or see all locations on NGO jobs by country. You can also browse all jobs and find CV and interview guidance in our career resources.

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