Chronic undernutrition is the most critical nutritional challenge facing Central America, and reflects development problems that result mainly from limited income earning opportunities. The high volatility of food prices, lack of strong political institutional capacity and insufficient productive opportunities for the poor contribute to a vicious cycle of food insecurity in the region. 
Under the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future initiative, USAID is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to increase the incomes of the rural poor and small farmers by facilitating trade and helping farmers improve their access to markets.
USAID and USDA are providing technical assistance, training, and knowledge exchanges on food safety and market information systems to both the private sector and governmental agricultural institutions in the region to increase productivity, access to markets, and private investment in agriculture and food security in communities and households.
 In an effort to harmonize regional food standards, the project is helping countries in the region increase their understanding and implementation of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures to facilitate imports and exports of food products. Activities also strengthen the technical capabilities of regional organizations working on plant protection and animal health so that they can serve as stronger technical references for Central America.

By promoting the establishment of safe maximum residue levels for pesticides, USAID/USDA will build the capacity of local agricultural ministries to support food safety reforms for consumers and to meet export standards and help national laboratories align pesticide residue analyses with international standards. The project includes training on the Food Safety Modernization Act to maintain market access to the United States.

USAID/USDA will work with the Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration (SIECA) and the Market Information Organization of the Americas to improve regional agricultural market information systems.