IFDC congratulates the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on its 50th anniversary. Since President John F. Kennedy called for USAID’s creation in 1961, the Agency has been committed to improving lives around the world through innovative and cost-effective solutions.
USAID has “had a huge impact on the world, taking on issue after issue,” said Peter McPherson, former USAID administrator, in an interview with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. McPherson, president of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and chairman of the IFDC board of directors, cited the Green Revolution of the 1960s and the eradication of smallpox as major USAID efforts.
“There is no question that the world is a better place because of the work done by the past and present staff of USAID,” said Dr. Amit Roy, IFDC president and CEO. “IFDC deeply values its 36-year relationship with USAID.”
The Tennessee Valley Authority’s National Fertilizer Development Center worked with USAID during the 1960s. It was USAID staff that wrote the concept note for an organization that became IFDC in 1974. USAID was a key contributor of funds when IFDC was founded, and the Agency has funded IFDC projects around the world over the ensuing decades. That tradition continues today in Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan and across Africa, and USAID is now helping to fund the Virtual Fertilizer Research Center (VFRC).
“Our time and opportunity to frame the future of development is now – we’re using science, innovation, entrepreneurship and ingenuity to create game-changing solutions that will build better lives for millions of people around the world,” said USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah.
Feed the Future is a new USAID initiative embracing science and innovation to alleviate global hunger and improve food security. Feed the Future supports country-driven approaches to hunger and utilizes partnerships with governments and the private sector. IFDC is honored to be a Feed the Future partner through the VFRC and projects in Ethiopia and Tanzania, among others.
“There is no doubt that much of IFDC’s success is attributable to its strong relationship with USAID,” said Roy. “All of us at IFDC salute USAID for its work around the world over the past 50 years.”