Title 7AgricultureRelease 119-73

§1727e Use of local currency proceeds

Title 7 › Chapter CHAPTER 41— - FOOD FOR PEACE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER III–A— - FOOD FOR DEVELOPMENT › § 1727e

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Use local currency earned from certain sales in the recipient country for specific economic development work. The law allows 13 kinds of uses, such as improving food security and agriculture, running programs to fight hunger and help mothers and children, boosting incomes and access to food, promoting open markets, supporting U.S. and local NGOs and cooperatives, buying local food for emergencies or reserves, paying program costs, funding private‑sector loans, backing Peace Corps agriculture projects, building rural roads and irrigation, and supporting research, education, and extension in agricultural sciences. At least 10 percent of a recipient country’s account must be used to help local NGOs and cooperatives working on rural development, agricultural education, sustainable farming, aid for poor people, and environmental projects. A nonprofit that gets local currency may invest it, and any interest earned can be used for the same purpose without more approval from Congress. If the agency head decides the money is not needed for the listed activities, it may be used to support local schools that teach agriculture or other subjects to many U.S. nationals, but not schools whose main purpose is religious education.

Full Legal Text

Title 7, §1727e

Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The local currency proceeds of sales pursuant to section 1727c(2) of this title shall be used in the recipient country for specific economic development purposes, including—
(1)the promotion of specific policy reforms to improve food security and agricultural development within the country and to promote broad-based, equitable, and sustainable development;
(2)the establishment of development programs, projects, and activities that promote food security, alleviate hunger, improve nutrition, and promote family planning, maternal and child health care, oral rehydration therapy, and other child survival objectives consistent with section 2151b(c)(2) of title 22, relating to the Child Survival Fund;
(3)the promotion of increased access to food supplies through the encouragement of specific policies and programs designed to increase employment and incomes within the country;
(4)the promotion of free and open markets through specific policies and programs;
(5)support for United States private voluntary organizations and cooperatives and encouragement of the development and utilization of indigenous nongovernmental organizations;
(6)the purchase of agricultural commodities (including transportation and processing costs) produced in the country—
(A)to meet urgent or extraordinary relief requirements in the country or in neighboring countries; or
(B)to develop emergency food reserves;
(7)the purchase of goods and services (other than agricultural commodities and related services) to meet urgent or extraordinary relief requirements;
(8)the payment, to the extent practicable, of the costs of carrying out the program authorized in subchapter V;
(9)private sector development activities designed to further the policies set forth in section 1691 of this title, including loans to financial intermediaries for use in making loans to private individuals, cooperatives, corporations, or other entities;
(10)activities of the Peace Corps that relate to agricultural production;
(11)the development of rural infrastructure such as roads, irrigation systems, and electrification to enhance agricultural production;
(12)research on malnutrition and its causes, as well as research relating to the identification and application of policies and strategies for targeting resources made available under this section to address the problem of malnutrition; and
(13)support for research (including collaborative research which is mutually beneficial to the United States and the recipient country), education, and extension activities in agricultural sciences.
(b)To the extent practicable, not less than 10 percent of the amounts contained in an account established for a recipient country under section 1727d(a) of this title shall be used by such country to support the development and utilization of nongovernmental organizations and cooperatives that are active in rural development, agricultural education, sustainable agricultural production, other measures to assist poor people, and environmental protection projects within such country.
(c)A nongovernmental organization may invest local currencies that accrue to that organization as a result of assistance under subsection (a), and any interest earned on such investment may be used for the purpose for which the assistance was provided to that organization without further appropriation by the Congress.
(d)If the Administrator determines that local currencies deposited in a special account pursuant to this subchapter are not needed for any of the activities prescribed in paragraphs (1) through (13) of subsection (a) or for any other specific economic development purpose in the recipient country, the Administrator may use those currencies to provide support for any institution (other than an institution whose primary purpose is to provide religious education) located in the recipient country that provides education in agricultural sciences or other disciplines for a significant number of United States nationals (who may include members of the United States Armed Forces or the Foreign Service or dependents of such members).

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 306 of act July 10, 1954, ch. 469, title III, as added Sept. 21, 1959, Pub. L. 86–341, title I, § 11, 73 Stat. 608, enacted section 1695 of this title, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 89–808, § 2(D), Nov. 11, 1966, 80 Stat. 1535.

Amendments

1996—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 104–127 amended heading and struck out “indigenous” before “nongovernmental” in text. 1990—Pub. L. 101–624 amended section generally, substituting present provisions for provisions requiring submission of annual report by recipient countries to President on activities and progress of Food for Development Program. 1979—Pub. L. 96–53 inserted provisions relating to detailed description of the use of the commodities.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1990 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 101–624 effective Jan. 1, 1991, see section 1513 of Pub. L. 101–624, set out as a note under section 1691 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1979 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 96–53 effective Oct. 1, 1979, see section 512(a) of Pub. L. 96–53, set out as a note under section 2151 of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse.

Effective Date

Section effective Oct. 1, 1977, see section 215 of Pub. L. 95–88, set out as an

Effective Date

of 1977 Amendment note under section 1702 of this title.

Executive Documents

Use of Foreign CurrenciesForeign currencies accruing to United States under this subchapter may be used for purposes set forth in this section, see Ex. Ord. No. 12752, § 2(b)(1), Feb. 25, 1991, 56 F.R. 8255, set out as a note under section 1691 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

7 U.S.C. § 1727e

Title 7Agriculture

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73