Inside the ‘America First’ makeover of a global hunger program

A U.S.-funded program that helped Niger's farmers fight crop pests like the millet head miner was shut down when the Trump administration dismantled USAID in early twenty twenty-five, canceling seventy-two million dollars in funding. Grist reports the initiative, which trained farmers to spot infestations threatening staples like millet, rice, and sorghum, had been building toward wider rollout with Niger's government when it lost nearly all its team overnight. The State Department has since reopened applications for a redesigned version of the program, but former officials tell Grist the new criteria devote just a few paragraphs to Africa, the continent the U.N. now says faces the world's highest hunger burden.

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