The grant will provide emergency food assistance and fund high-impact innovations to end hunger.
On May 18, 2022, the John Deere Foundation announced a $1 million donation to the U.S. World Food Program to combat global food insecurity and address the staggering increase in acute hunger exacerbated by the crisis in Ukraine .
Half of the grant will support the global humanitarian efforts of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the other half will go to the organization’s Innovation Accelerator, which seeks, supports and scales high-impact innovations to end hunger.
“At John Deere, we are committed to helping feed the world and to understanding the important role of innovative technologies and business models in achieving that goal,” said John S. May , chairman and CEO of Deere & Company and chairman of the John Deere Foundation. . “This investment in the World Food Program and its Innovation Accelerator promises to help end hunger today and in the future.”
“We are grateful to the John Deere Foundation for their generous support at a time when the world faces a hunger disaster of unprecedented proportions,” said Barron Segar , president and CEO of the World Food Program USA . “Private sector partners are vital in helping us feed families in need today and advance innovations that can save lives in the future.”
This award builds on recent grants from the John Deere Foundation for the U.S. World Food Program , including a $250,000 gift earlier in 2022 to support humanitarian assistance in Ukraine and the surrounding region, and a $500,000 investment in 2021 to support the WFP Innovation Accelerator.
“Together with John Deere’s support, the WFP Innovation Accelerator has positively impacted the lives of 9 million people, including 2.2 million smallholder farmers, in 2021,” said Hila Cohen , chief of business development and chief of staff for the WFP Innovation Accelerator. . “We will continue to build this unique SDG-focused partnership by investing in innovations aimed at ending hunger and scaling projects for maximum impact.”
John Deere employees also supported WFP through the crowdfunding app ShareTheMeal. With the support of the John Deere Foundation’s employee donation programs, John Deere employees have helped donate more than 88,600 meals to fight hunger worldwide in 2022.
About the John Deere Foundation The Foundation
John Deere helps bring John Deere’s overarching purpose – we run so that life can move forward – to life through investments that enable the people we serve to overcome the challenges they face today and pave the way for a more prosperous tomorrow. The Foundation has committed at least $200 million between 2021 and 2030 to unlock economic, social and environmental value for small and resource-poor farmers, marginalized families and youth in local John Deere communities, and our workforce.
About the U.S. World Food Program
World Food Program USA, based in Washington, D.C., proudly supports the mission of the United Nations World Food Program by mobilizing U.S. policymakers, businesses and individuals to advance the global movement to end hunger. Our leadership and support helps strengthen America’s enduring legacy of providing for families in need around the world.
About the World Food Program Innovation Accelerator
WFP’s Innovation Accelerator was launched in 2015 to find new ideas, sprint pilot projects and scale high-impact innovations by connecting them to WFP’s global network of 20,600 staff and field operations in 88 countries. From its base in Munich, Germany, the Accelerator has supported more than 100 projects, with 16 innovations scaled globally to achieve significant results. In 2021 alone, WFP humanitarian field operations reached more than 9 million people in 67 countries with these projects. Innovations supported by the Accelerator have attracted more than $180 million in co-funding.