WISHH And FAS Work Together To Ensure Food Security Around The Globe

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service partners with World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) to foster agricultural sustainability, boost food security and promote U.S. products around the world. Established by the American Soybean Association, WISHH engages with local entrepreneurs to steer and support business development by monitoring patterns in protein demand around the globe.

WISHH currently has programs in 29 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Most recently, in Ghana WISHH leveraged U.S. soybean industry checkoff dollars and support from the FAS’s Food for Progress program to create new opportunities for both U.S. exporters and Ghanaian farmers and consumers. U.S. soybean farmers observed the implementation of these programs and saw firsthand how their soybeans are being used abroad.

“There’s a lot of room for expansion in overall production and after we talked to the farmers here, they seemed really enthused about trying to increase production,” Kansas soybean farmer and WISHH Treasurer Bob Haselwood said. “For us as soybean farmers, that will mean more need for soybean meal.”

To assure successful market development and to get knowledge from those who have already succeeded in various markets, WISHH also connects firms with partners across global market systems. While promoting and strengthening trade in targeted countries, these initiatives also improve food security by expanding local access to food and agriculture supplies.

WISHH works in multiple sectors within these countries, including feed, livestock, and poultry. Since the program’s early development, it has worked with the FFPr Program. FFPr helps developing countries and emerging democracies modernize and strengthen their agricultural sectors. Recipient countries sell donated U.S. agricultural commodities on the local market and use the proceeds to support agricultural, economic, or infrastructure development programs.

For more information, visit https://www.wishh.org/ and https://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/food-progress.