AgroInvest Position Paper: Potential for Ukraine to Participate in USAID’s Feed The Future (FTF) Initiative

USAID/Ukraine asked the AgroInvest Project Team to explore Ukraine’s potential to participate in President Obama’s Feed the Future (FTF) Initiative. This memorandum addresses that question, and provides the AgroInvest Project’s analysis of the extent to which USAID/Ukraine might help to contribute to the FTF Initiative.

We conclude from preliminary investigation that the potential for USAID/Ukraine to take an active role in FTF is limited, primarily by Ukraine’s geographic situation, located in a region of the world that suffers relatively low rates of malnutrition and food insecurity. Nonetheless, USAID/Ukraine (with support from the AgroInvest Team) may wish to explore with the Ministry of Agricultural Policy and Food (MAPF) the Ukrainian government’s interest in becoming an FTF partner country. Should USAID/Ukraine decide to explore this possibility, the Government of Ukraine’s (GOU’s) commitment to this undertaking would be essential; but we would need to proceed carefully and iteratively, so as not to raise Ukrainian expectations prematurely.

Nations can participate in FTF as “priority” or as “partner” countries:

  • Ukraine does not suffer from the extreme poverty and malnutrition to develop an FTF “Country Investment Program” as an FTF “priority country.”
  • Ukraine, like FTF’s four “partner countries” (Brazil, India, South Africa and Nigeria), is large grain exporter with research and technical assistance potential that could benefit other countries in its region, in Africa or beyond. Ukraine’s nearest FTF partner country is Tajikistan. Were the GOU to take an interest in collaborative agricultural research or technical assistance to farmers and researchers in Tajikistan, in other FTF priority countries, or perhaps even in other food-insecure countries; then USAID/Ukraine could approach the USAID’s Bureau for Food Security (BFS) with a proposal for FTF support and funding.