Today, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the extension of a research partnership with Texas A&M University to identify solutions and opportunities to increase the adoption of farmer-led irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa.

The $12.5 million extension from USAID to Texas A&M University extends the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Small-Scale Irrigation for five years.

Effective use of scarce water supplies, an issue of great interest among Texas growers and ranchers, is also key to the successful agricultural growth that underpins progress in reducing hunger and poverty on the African continent. Better use of this precious resource will enable African farmers and communities to be more productive and resilient in the face of drought or other shocks, while increasing the supply of more affordable, high-quality nutritious foods. This growth additionally opens up new markets for American agriculture; to date U.S. agricultural and food exports to Feed the Future countries have increased by $1.4 billion. Today's extension continues a long history of partnership between USAID and Texas A&M, in addressing some of the world's most pressing development challenges.

Through Feed the Future, America's initiative to combat global hunger, USAID is collaborating with more than 70 U.S. universities and colleges to conduct research and develop technologies that benefit agriculture, resilience, and nutrition abroad and here in the United States.