The Executive Order freezing most U.S. foreign assistance for 90 days pending review includes funding provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), an independent government agency responsible for administering humanitarian aid since 1961.
As a result of this executive order, the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute received a stop-work order for its USAID-funded Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Irrigation and Mechanization Systems, one of 17 Feed the Future Innovation Labs involving 29 states across the country. These scientific collaborations are led by U.S. land-grant universities in partnership with research institutions in low- and middle-income countries to enhance global stability by tackling challenges in agriculture and food security, while also expanding agricultural markets.
DWFI has paused all ILIMS work complying with the 90-day stop-work order. We are working closely with our University of Nebraska colleagues and other partners to monitor the situation and continue the institute’s work on smallholder farming through our other ongoing programs and initiatives, including studying farmer access to individual, small-scale irrigation equipment and supporting smallholder farmers and agtech entrepreneurs in South Asia.
You can find more information about the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Irrigation and Mechanization Systems led by DWFI on the website at https://waterforfood.nebraska.edu/irrigandmech