John Deere Foundation announces $19M in grants to reduce hunger

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The John Deere Foundation is providing a series of grants totaling $19 million that are aimed at eliminating hunger.

Announced by Josh Jepsen, senior vice president and chief financial officer at Deere and Co., during the World Food Prize Foundation’s Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue in Des Moines, the purpose of the grants is to increase access to food, uplift resource-constrained farmers and support global food systems.

The three grants were the largest in the foundation’s history, with $7.5 million going to the One Acre Fund, $6.5 million to the Nature Conservancy and $5 million to World Food Program USA.

“We believe firmly that the world’s farmers deserve our collective support and advocacy if our goal is to realize the full promise of the ‘Green Revolution,’” Jepsen said during the event. “The private sector, including specifically those businesses involved in agriculture, have the responsibility to help close the gaps in investment. Guided by concepts such as ‘trust-based philanthropy,’ we can do better, particularly in honoring the work of nonprofit organizations serving marginalized growers capable of making leaps of their own.”

The grant for the One Acre Fund is to help it accelerate its work to ensure farm families have the knowledge and means to achieve big harvests, support healthy families and cultivate rich soil, according to a press release. The grant for the Nature Conservancy will promote natural climate solutions, such as forest restoration and conservation projects, in key regions across the globe, and the grant for World Food Program USA will strengthen the capacity of the United Nations World Food Programme, the world’s largest humanitarian organization.