Archive for category: Food Insecurity

,

How NGOs in Kosovo Tackle food Insecurity 

NGOs in KosovoA country still coping with the repercussions of conflict and economic hardships, Kosovo continues to experience a rise in food poverty. Hence, to address this issue, NGOs in Kosovo including Rahma (Mercy) and Mohanji Act Foundation, continue acting in response to the food insecurity issues affecting residents. These NGOs are implementing innovative strategies and collaborating to ensure that everyone can access nutritious meals.

Background

Between 1998 and 1999, Kosovo went through a devastating war that resulted in the expulsion of approximately 800,000 Kosovans. However, the successful signing of the Peace Agreement enabled 90% of Albanians to return, bringing the overall population to an estimated 1,600,000. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has coordinated with around 200 humanitarian organizations to assist in rebuilding through the provision of aid, including food, medical care, shelter, water and sanitation.

Rahma Mercy

Established in 1999, the Rahma (Mercy) is an NGO that prides itself in providing assistance to alleviate suffering within the Balkan region. Supporting countries like Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia and Kosovo, the Rahma (Mercy) NGO aims to mobilize resources and people to offer affected communities emergency help, including food, water, shelter and medical care.

Generating an income of around £2.83 million in 2022, Rahma (Mercy) aims to help alleviate the effect of food poverty in Kosovo by offering grants to individuals or other organizations; providing finances or services; advocating for human rights. Its efforts have been important in helping to save lives and provide crucial aid.

While relieving food poverty is a concern, Rahma (Mercy) further prides itself on implementing projects targeted toward encouraging sustainable change, through investing in education, housing and health care.

Like many other NGOs, Rahma (Mercy) relies on the kindness and generosity of both donors and volunteers. Its dedication to transparency and accountability is evident in its open disclosure of financial information.

Mohanji Act Foundation

The Mohanji Foundation has a primary goal of reducing suffering among populations. The foundation aims to prevent and relieve poverty, through overseas aid and famine relief projects. Operating in Kosovo among many other countries like Ukraine and Sri Lanka, it achieves this by mobilizing resources such as food and water, providing services and making grants to organizations.

Additionally, it aids the homeless through their food donation programs. Its global platform, ACT4Hunger, is inspired by Mohanji and is used to facilitate food donations.

Looking Ahead

Though NGOs encounter various obstacles in providing aid, the relief efforts in Kosovo to tackle food poverty, have demonstrated the possibility of effective collaboration between local partners and the community. These organizations strive to promote sustainable change and also engage with policymakers to address the underlying causes of food poverty.

– Erdona Sopa
Photo: Unsplash

,

Biotechnology Can Alleviate Food Insecurity 

Biotechnology Can Alleviate Food Insecurity According to the World Food Program (WFP), more than 345 million people worldwide face acute food insecurity. While the causes of food insecurity are man, the current biggest contributors include an unstable supply chain and extreme weather and sanctions imposed because of the Russia-Ukraine War. This food crisis is a significant issue, but new research suggests that biotechnology can alleviate food insecurity through industrial biofertilizers and fermentation.

Biofertilizer

Russia’s war on Ukraine has disrupted not only food security but the supply of industry-standard chemical fertilizers. In the face of delays and high costs, underprivileged farmers are going without or substituting with cheaper, less-effective fertilizers. Smaller harvests in the upcoming seasons could decrease food production.

While using chemical fertilizer may be the standard practice, its excessive use has downsides. According to a 2022 article by Current Research in Microbial Sciences, these fertilizers can contain pollutants that harm soil quality. Living or latent plant microbes in biofertilizers, on the other hand, can naturally improve plant growth, improve soil fertility, enhance nutrient absorption and increase crop yield. That is because these microorganisms, like fungi, can be beneficial bacteria.

A research team at the University of Córdoba in Spain recently confirmed that a specific strain of fungus stimulated cucumber plants’ response to iron deficiency. This resulted in an increase in and overall growth of the plants in iron-deficient soil. Additionally, countries such as the Philippines will soon offer biofertilizers to local farmers to decrease dependence on the importation of chemical or non-organic fertilizers.

While biofertilizers are not at the stage to replace chemical fertilizers completely, mixing in and substituting with chemical fertilizers is possible, depending on the specific needs. Based on estimates, the value of the biofertilizer market could grow to $3.9 billion in 2025. However, there is a need for further promotion and development to facilitate the distribution of affordable biofertilizers on a large scale for this biotechnology to alleviate food insecurity.

Fermentation

The world population is expected to grow an additional 2 billion by 2050 and meat consumption will likely increase by more than 70%. Lab-grown protein or protein made from precision fermentation could help meet this new demand and feed millions. Precision fermentation, a bio-process for producing protein, uses only a fraction of the land required by the most efficient agricultural means to produce protein. The interest in this new, adaptable process to create alternative proteins is evident in the 136 companies (up 12%) in 2022 that invested in fermentation.

Start-ups such as Solar Food make novel protein powders with a 65-70% protein makeup using this method. The process involves fermenting a microbe in a bioreactor by feeding it nutrients in the air. A thicker substance forms and is later dried and turned into a powder. Solar Food, based in Finland, claims its sustainable process is 20% more efficient than photosynthesis. With one hundred times more efficient in converting energy to calories (compared to animals), it can be an endless food supply. Production will begin in 2024, with every step of the process said to be scalable.

The First Hybrid Center

The first-ever “hybrid meat innovation” center will open in Singapore later in 2023, offering a mix of animal cells, plant-based meat and fermented microbes. Meanwhile, the National University of Singapore achieved high-precision 3-D printing of edible, cell-based meat using plant proteins commonly found in barley, corn and rye flour. This process lowers production costs and is more sustainable than prior versions that used synthetic polymers. Additionally, India, home to the world’s largest cow population, will have the first government initiative to produce lab-grown meat, with the government designating more than $160 billion to the program. Sourcing meat from cow cells rather than animals will likely reduce land use for beef production by up to 95%.

The Future of Biotechnology

As ideal as biotechnology endeavors sound, there is still room for much work with respect to alleviating food insecurity. Some hurdles to overcome include decreasing production costs, ensuring the use of renewable energy and educating farmers. And incentivizing farmers to use biofertilizers and guaranteeing alternative proteins are available to vulnerable populations could be a vital step. If seen not as a novelty trend but as a versatile resource, biotechnology has the potential to eradicate food insecurity in affected areas.

– Clare Calzada
Photo: Flickr

Lula da Silva’s Bolsa Familia: A Mission to Feed Every Brazilian

After facing difficulties in the last decade, Brazil hopes to reinvigorate its fight against food insecurity by building on the progress made in the early 21st century. In 2018, 36.7% of households experienced food insecurity. At the end of 2022, the rate of households with food insecurity increased to 58.7%. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity rose again, affecting 33.1 million Brazilians.
However, the fight against hunger in Brazil is not without hope. In November 2022, President Lula da Silva proposed the Bolsa Familia program, which, as part of the government’s Zero Hunger strategy, achieved a 31% reduction in childhood malnutrition from 2003 to 2013. What’s more, the recent successes of financial institutions such as the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) demonstrate progression in fighting hunger despite the challenging socio-economic conditions of today.

Difficulties Facing Brazil

Brazil suffers from extreme levels of inequality. More than 50% of the population experiences some sort of food insecurity. This is despite it being the world’s fourth-biggest producer of grain and the biggest producer of beef.

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 only increased the burden on a fragile health system and poor national living conditions, which include the lack of access to water and basic sanitation. All of this limits the biological use of nutrients and puts people at risk of developing malnutrition.

21st-Century Victories in the Fight Against Food Insecurity

From 2003 to 2014, the Zero Hunger strategy conducted by the federal government formed public infrastructures, such as Public Infrastructure for Food and Nutrition Security (EPSAN), with the goal of supporting the Human Right to Adequate Food. In 2010, the country’s Constitution made this right fundamentally guaranteed. While other countries in the Americas offer similar programs, most are not publicly institutionalized. This is a distinction often accused of negating public involvement.

Due to the expansion of facilities such as EPSAN, by 2020, 87 public food banks, 104 popular restaurants and 189 community kitchens were in operation in Brazil. In addition to this, Lula da Silva’s original Bolsa Familia, or family allowance, gave struggling families a cash transfer. This was highly successful in increasing food security. The Zero Hunger program helped 20 million people escape poverty. Furthermore, 90% of Lula da Silva’s Bolsa Familia beneficiaries felt their access to food improved.

A Look Ahead

With the return of Lula da Silva’s Bolsa Familia program, Brazil’s most impoverished families can receive 600 Real (about $120) a month for the next four years. This is a total of 198 billion Real a year paid by the government. During parliamentary negotiations, Lula da Silva personally engaged himself to pass the social program, showing his commitment to the cause. Overall, Brazil continues to show that, despite facing challenging trends and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is room for progress and positive results in the fight against food insecurity.
–Gabriel Gathercole

Photo: Flickr

, , ,

Supporting Refugees During Ramadan

Supporting Refugees During RamadanRamadan is the holiest month of the year for Muslims globally. During this month, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset every day for 30 days as an act of worship, a way to practice self-discipline and a period to empathize with the needy and less privileged. Every evening in the holy month, Muslims break their fast with a meal known as ‘iftar’.

Apart from being a fast-breaking meal, iftar plays a vital role in balancing health and nutrition. Unfortunately, in a world where 11.7% of the entire global population experiences extreme food insecurity, millions of Muslims often have no food to break their fast with. Food insecurity is a major issue affecting refugees and displaced people who rely on donations and aid to access food. In a bid to alleviate the issue, charities like Restless Beings are supporting refugees during Ramadan by providing them with iftar meals.

Restless Beings is a U.K.-based human rights organization that is making efforts to address food insecurity during Ramadan. Through distributing food packages in nations with high numbers of refugees and displaced people, such as Syria and Bangladesh, it provides iftar meals for Muslims around the world.

The Borgen Project spoke with one of the directors of Restless Beings, Rahima Begum, to find out more about the organization’s food packages and other ongoing efforts aimed at supporting refugees during Ramadan.

Food Packages

In 2023, Restless Beings is distributing food packages in Gaza, Turkey, Syria and the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. The content of the food packages varies for each nation depending on dietary requirements and cultural sensitivities. According to Rahima Begum, “As Restless Beings is a highly consultative organization, we ensure that at all stages, we speak to the community about their needs and what they want in their food packs.”

For example, the packages for refugees in Bangladesh include food items such as rice, chickpeas, lentils, vitamin supplements, oil, onions and seasonings. These are all staple items in a typical Bangladeshi diet. In Gaza and Syria, the packages include tea, pasta, beans, feta cheese, dates and bulgar. The Turkish food packages include most of the aforementioned as well as olives, tahini and ingredients for making traditional Turkish bread. Each food package contains enough to feed a family for at least one month.

The food packages are distributed by the organization’s on-the-ground teams. As of April 2023, Restless Beings has provided food packages and other forms of assistance to over 50,000 refugees globally.

Feeding Refugees in the UK

For Restless Beings, supporting refugees during Ramadan in the U.K. is just as important as supporting refugees abroad. It partners with other organizations that specialize in assisting refugees and migrants arriving in the U.K. to provide occasional free, warm iftar meals throughout Ramadan. It also donates baked snacks, including bread and pastries, which refugees can take away. The service is not exclusive to only Muslims, as Restless Beings is committed to helping refugees from all religious and cultural backgrounds. The organization is affiliated with two food banks in East London, both of which provide free or discounted food to the homeless and those affected by extreme food insecurity.

Gifting Presents and Haircuts

Restless Beings is supporting refugees during Ramadan in ways other than providing food. It also aims to restore joy and hope in the lives of refugee children. Many of the children that Restless Beings works with have witnessed extreme violence and experienced severe political conflict and displacement. This has stripped them of their fundamental human right to safety and deprived them of their childhood.

The organization is making efforts to give children something to look forward to while encouraging them to believe that there is hope for a better future. It gifts children in the Rohingya refugee camps hampers, new clothes, shoes and fresh haircuts to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the day that follows the end of Ramadan. For Rahima Begum, the gifting service is of utmost importance because it bestows a sense of normalcy and dignity on the recipients that aids their emotional healing. She says “When a child is reminded of their dignity and given an opportunity to feel and look fresh… this child feels like they are seen, heard and most of all, valued.”

Concluding Thoughts

Through their work in supporting refugees during Ramadan, Restless Beings is addressing global food insecurity and bringing nourishment and familiarity to affected people. A Muslim herself, Rahima reflects that “feeding a fasting person is a blessed action” and doing so provides her with the opportunity to ensure Muslims less fortunate than herself can “observe the religious duties that [she is] personally adhering to, in the most comfortable way possible.”

– Mohsina Alam.
Photo: Flickr

,

Hunger and Food Systems in North Korea

Food Systems in North Korea
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un convened an emergency meeting to discuss agriculture in February 2023, as the country faces growing concerns about food insecurity. Kim only holds these meetings once or twice a year, but it had only been two months since the previous one. Though the regime refutes such claims, the recurrent meetings may point to pressing circumstances concerning the food systems in North Korea.

Persistent Effects of a Devastating 1990s Famine

A famine in the mid-1990s killed more than 3% of the population. The effects of this famine still persist within food systems in North Korea today. Additionally, according to media reports, the situation has only worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic, with the enforcement of more border closures. The regime resorted to reserving available resources for only military developments.

North Korea also suffers from a lack of agricultural infrastructure, including fuel and fertilizers, which have become more expensive as a result of the pandemic. Chemical fertilizers, especially, appear to be in shortage in the country as the sowing season approaches.

In December 2022, the South Korean development agency estimated a 3.8% decrease in the North’s crop production since 2021. The South’s Unification Ministry commented on the current food crisis as “seemed to have deteriorated,” although North Korea’s regime refuses any claims that infer its incapacity to provide enough food for the population. 

The country’s lack of arable land is partly responsible for its food insecurity crisis. The Brookings Institution in Washington, DC reports that only 20% of the land appears to be suitable for agricultural production. The extreme weather and constant flooding may have also destroyed some of the existing plantations.

International Humanitarian Aid in North Korea

Despite the food insecurity problem in North Korea, the country’s regime refuses international aid. A local newspaper Rodong Sinmun even described foreign aid as “poisoned candy.” However, China, a long-standing ally, has agreed to restart a small portion of railway transport of various goods, including medicine, fertilizers and food between the two countries. One of North Korea’s only options is to restart the whole railway trade, but the Chinese government seems reluctant.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the living conditions of North Koreans appear to have worsened significantly. The economic isolation greatly limits the chances of international humanitarian aid, and the border closures have only affected the country negatively. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), North Korea only accepted about $2.3 million in aid from international organizations in 2022. Most of the aid came from European countries, with $1.6 million from Switzerland, $510,000 and $200,000 from the Swedish and Norwegian Red Cross respectively.

Hope for Economic Relief in North Korea

The hope for the current food systems in North Korea lies in lifting the economic sanctions imposed on the country. Ongoing tensions between North Korea and the U.S., along with its allies, are due to the country’s possession of nuclear weapons and political clashes. The dissolution of this tension could partially address the country’s food insecurity. If North Korea can trade with countries other than China and Russia, it would have access to resources that could solve some of the problems related to food scarcity, although the country has shown no such effort.

Organizations like Liberty in North Korea and World Food Programme (WFP) are working towards helping the country’s population through various initiatives. For example, WFP is operating the DPRK Interim Country Strategic Plan (2019-2023) that proposed a plan to improve nutrition for children under 7 years of age, pregnant and lactating women and tuberculosis patients by 2025. While it is difficult to predict the outcome at this stage, sustained humanitarian assistance in North Korea can lead to positive outcomes.

– Amber Kim
Photo: Flickr

, ,

Addressing Hunger in Pakistan

hunger in Pakistan
According to the 2022 Global Hunger Index, the country of Pakistan ranks 99 out of 121 countries. With hunger in Pakistan’s score at 26.1 out of 50 on the index, the issue in the country is ranked as “serious.” The problem itself is due to a combination of factors. One is the devastating 2022 summer floods. A second is the current economic crises that are severely affecting the Pakistani government’s ability to manage food scarcity.

Hunger and Food Insecurity Across the Population

Almost 17% of Pakistan’s population is undernourished. Children are among the most greatly affected. Almost 40% of children under five suffer from “stunting” or have low height for their age due to undernourishment. “Child wasting” affects seven percent of children under five. This means that they are below the average weight for their age because of severe undernourishment. Finally, child mortality (children who die before age five) is a startling 6.5%.

According to the World Food Programme (WFP), a survey from 2018 showed that 36.9% of the population faces food insecurity. Women are especially at risk as among the most vulnerable and economically challenged portion of the population. Moreover, due to cultural and social taboos, many women find it difficult to access humanitarian services and aid. In addition, the World Food Programme found a direct link between girls’ level of education and all forms of undernutrition.

Flooding and Hunger

The devastating floods of the summer of 2022 further destabilized Pakistan’s rising inflation and poor economic situation. Pakistani government officials stated that the floods destroyed almost 80% of crops. This staggering number has major ramifications for a country where an average household spends around 50% of its income on food. Also, the State Bank of Pakistan proclaimed that foreign reserves fell to $4.3 billion. That is barely enough to buy three weeks of imports. Finally, even with pledges of $10 billion from the international community to help Pakistan’s recovery, supply chain shortages in everything from medical supplies to soybeans keep prices high and the people suffering.

Wheat is a staple food in the diet of an average Pakistani. The prices of wheat have skyrocketed, partly because of a decrease in wheat from Ukraine due to the war there. Wheat and flour are so scarce in some parts of Pakistan that armed police have to guard distribution trucks. At one point, desperation led people to stampede the trucks and the stampede led to the death of a person. Furthermore, food prices in the country rose almost 36% in December 2022, compared to 31% in November.

Support from Humanitarian Organizations

To combat these difficult challenges, organizations that fight hunger such as Action Against Hunger and Islamic Relief are comprehensively tackling hunger in Pakistan. In the province of Sindh, Action Against Hunger promotes kitchen gardening and supports farmers to grow crops that are resistant to changing weather patterns. The organization also provides communities with knowledge and information on new techniques to grow vegetables. Finally, it provides households with young children with goats and poultry. Action Against Hunger aid reached more than 2 million people last year.

Islamic Relief supported more than 1 million people in the aftermath of the floods. It provided communities with 40,000 liters of daily clean drinking water, 123 water tanks, 11,667 food packs and 7476 winter kits.

The challenges are very much present, but organizations are working alongside the government to implement new initiatives to eliminate hunger in Pakistan.

– Saad Ul Haque
Photo: Flickr

,

Insect Farming to Reduce Food Insecurity

Insect Farming to Reduce Food Insecurity
InsectiPro is a Kenyan company that engages in insect farming to reduce food insecurity in Africa. With growing populations in Africa comes an increasing demand for food sources, but the current food supply outweighs the demand. The 2022 Global Report on Food Crises 2022 Mid-Year Update highlights that, at minimum, one in five people in Africa ends the day without meeting their food needs and about 140 million individuals in Africa endure acute levels of food insecurity. InsectiPro is creating “sustainable, nutritious and profitable systems” with its unique solution to food poverty. The company focuses on achieving four of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as an aim to end poverty and inequality: dissolving hunger and malnutrition (SDG 2), “industry and innovation” (SDG 9), “responsible consumption and production” (SDG 12) and engaging in partnerships (SDG 17).

The Work of InsectiPro

InsectiPro farms black soldier flies and crickets on a large, commercial scale, ensuring there is a bulk supply of a nutritious food source for people in Kenya. This is important work considering the World Bank’s report in 2020 that 26.1% of Kenya’s population suffers from severe levels of food insecurity. In Kenya, locally sourced meat and fish are expensive, especially for impoverished families. Instead of getting rid of insects that farmers often find on their lands, these insects could be used as an alternative food source. InsectiPro looks to “make insect consumption widely accepted,” The Index Project says.

How Does InsectiPro Operate?

The company grows crickets in “stackable crates,” which maximizes farming space as opposed to utilizing spans of farmland. An adult female cricket can lay as many as 100 eggs each day, and since they prefer to lay their eggs in damp, warm areas, the crates that InsectiPro uses provide an ideal breeding environment. Once 10 days pass, the InsectiPro team transfers crickets to feeding trays, where they remain for a further five weeks. Then, the crickets are “harvested, frozen, thawed and baked,” How we made it in Africa reports. The company currently offers three types of cricket products — porridge, a powder and a crunchy snack.

Insects as a Food Source

Crickets are a very valuable food source due to their protein-rich nature and essential amino acid content. Studies indicate that crickets may contain up to 73% of protein. The fact that crickets contain up to three more complete proteins compared to a piece of beef of the same weight and provide higher levels of iron, vitamins and fiber illustrates their nutritional value.

Black soldier flies are also high in protein and can stand as a sustainable food option. Farming insects to reduce food insecurity also has the potential to address protein deficiencies that could manifest in malnutrition and life-threatening conditions, such as kwashiorkor and marasmus. Therefore, in the aim to make nations in Africa more food secure and healthy, plentiful supplies of protein in the form of crickets have significant potential.

Plans for the Future

InsectiPro currently works in Kenya, but the company has already received requests to export its goods to other nations. The practice of growing insects in Africa is becoming more and more prominent because of its vast benefits. The company has received a certificate from the local bureau of standards and is also focusing its attention on regional markets. InsectiPro has plans to expand to Uganda in 2023 and Rwanda in 2024 but says it will stick to farming the insects commonly consumed in those areas, namely, grasshoppers.

Insect farming to reduce food insecurity is a revolutionary idea that could become more popular in the near future. Addressing food insecurity is a vital part of tackling poverty and the unique work of InsectiPro is a positive step in the right direction.

– Ruby Wallace
Photo: Flickr

,

Addressing Food Insecurity in Africa

Food Insecurity in Africa
Thirty-four African leaders met between 25-27 January 2023 in Senegal to address worsening food insecurity in Africa. The president of Senegal and the president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, jointly hosted the gathering, called the Dakar 2 – Africa Food Summit. Adesina announced that the AfDB would be dedicating $10 billion worth of funding over the next five years to reduce food insecurity on the African continent.

The Magnitude of Food Insecurity

According to the report “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022,” an annual assessment that several U.N. partners compiled, the global effort to reduce extreme hunger and food insecurity “is moving backward.” One can attribute this to conflicts, changing weather patterns, economic shocks and the COVID-19 pandemic as well as a disconnect between agricultural policies and expected outcomes.

In Africa, food insecurity has been endemic, but it has worsened in recent times. The backward movement in the global effort to reduce the prevalence, which the report underscored, is graphically illustrated through statistics. For instance, the number of persons facing hunger on the African continent stood at 187.4 million in 2015.

In 2021, the number of individuals experiencing hunger rose to 278 million, or 20.2%, the highest rate of hunger across the world. In Africa, almost 58% of the population is enduring moderate to severe food insecurity. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) predicts that, in Africa, these numbers will worsen and, by 2030, the African continent will hold the highest burden of undernourished individuals.

The AfDB commitment and the declarations of leaders during the Dakar 2 – Africa Food Summit underscore the gravity of the issue. Additionally, this is a positive development, indicating a determination to own the problem and address it, boldly.

Currently, due to budget constraints due to the COVID-19 pandemic, dwindling prices of commodities, “slow disbursement of funds,” heavy reliance on donor funds and lack of political will, African countries are unable to direct sufficient capital toward addressing food insecurity in Africa. Indeed, many African countries have not reached the goal of the Maputo Declaration, developed in 2003, to “allocate at least 10% of their national budget to food and agriculture.” The Dakar 2 – Africa Food Summit recognizes the severity of the issue and demonstrates a renewed political will to address food insecurity in Africa.

The Vision

At the end of the Dakar 2 – Africa Food Summit, African leaders acknowledged that with 65% of the world’s uncultivated land in Africa, the continent has the potential to become self-sufficient in food production. In fact, Africa has the potential to become the food basket of the world by 2030. The leaders, therefore, agreed to support the process of boosting agricultural production on the continent with strong political will in cooperation with development partners to ensure food sustainability in Africa.

Implementation

The Dakar 2 – Africa Food Summit, with the sub-theme Food Sovereignty and Resilience, set out strategies for the implementation of the leaders’ visions. The Country Food and Agriculture Delivery Compacts developed at this summit “convey the vision, challenges and opportunities in agricultural productivity, infrastructure, processing and value addition, markets and financing that will accelerate the implementation of the African Union’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP).”

Some of these strategies include:

  • Develop Presidential Delivery Councils to supervise the implementation of agricultural programs in each country.
  • “Mobilize internal and external financing” for food and agriculture programs.
  • Expand funding from national budgets to support these food security objectives.

Looking Ahead

The response of the African Development Bank in collaboration with African leaders to address food insecurity in Africa is certainly a welcomed development. Leaders agree that it does not make sense for Africa to hold both 65% of the world’s arable land and the highest number of food-insecure individuals. The collaborative strategies of global leaders have the potential to lift a significant number of Africans out of poverty.

– Friday Okai
Photo: Flickr

,

Drought-Resistant Grains Boost Food Production in Zimbabwe

Food Production in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe, a landlocked country in south-eastern Africa, frequently suffers from the effects of seasonal droughts. For example, during the 2019 agricultural season, Zimbabwe endured a particularly devastating drought resulting in more than 5 million rural Zimbabweans experiencing food insecurity and nearly 4 million requiring food assistance. On top of issues of food insecurity that lower yields caused, Zimbabwe’s annual inflation rate rose to rates above 190% in June 2021, resulting in a higher overall cost of living throughout the country. Additionally, the price of maize has risen by more than 50% since the beginning of 2021. Luckily, drought-resistant grains are boosting food production in Zimbabwe.

How the Zimbabwean Government is Assisting Farmers

To solve the problem of lower yield due to maize not being able to withstand drought conditions, the Zimbabwean government has begun assisting farmers in the transition to farming smaller drought-resistant grains like sorghum and millet. This transition has resulted in food production increases in Zimbabwe, though it has not been easy for many farmers, as these smaller grains require more work to keep up. The small-grain crops attract birds, making a protection system essential to guard their crops. Moreover, when harvested, small-grain crops require more labor-intensive processing. Additionally, because the farmers have stopped farming as much maize, they have subsequently become unable to produce the corn necessary to make many staple Zimbabwean foods.

Responsive Drip Irrigation

Responsive Drip Irrigation is aiding farmers with an innovative irrigation system that helps crop production in drought conditions. It developed an irrigation system that reacts to the crops’ chemicals to determine when the plants need water. Of course, innovative technology such as Responsive Drip Irrigation is expensive and therefore difficult to make available to many Zimbabwean farmers. Nevertheless, in August 2021, Responsive Drip Irrigation began working with smallholder farms to help encourage food production increases in Zimbabwe.

The CAWEP Program

Additionally, in December 2022, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced the implementation of a new three-year initiative to make water more accessible throughout rural Zimbabwe. The CAWEP program allocated $14.8 million to increase access to water for various household uses, improve access to clean and affordable energy, and refurbish current irrigation systems. CAWEP should eventually connect as many as 12,500 people to electricity, assist 150,000 people with accessing water and establish more than 100 hectares of land as workable agricultural property. By making water more accessible to these rural Zimbabwean farmers, the UNDP hopes to increase food production in Zimbabwe.

The World Food Programme (WFP)

Finally, the World Food Programme (WFP) has also worked to provide support for rural Zimbabwean farmers in the face of probable climate shocks such as prevalent droughts. as of November 2022, the WFP has provided nearly 10,000 metric tons of food, more than $420,000 worth of cash-based transfers and has reached close to 500,000 people with these cash transfers. As of December 2022, the WFP provided more than 550,000 people with emergency food assistance.

The Road Ahead

Though frequently facing the brunt of powerful droughts and an ever-growing inflation rate, food production is slowly increasing in Zimbabwe as farmers shift to more sustainable crops and receive help from humanitarian organizations such as the WFP and the UNDP.

– Chris Dickinson
Photo: Flickr

, , ,

Ways To Address World Hunger in 2023

Ways To Address World Hunger
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to profoundly impact economies worldwide, with rising food prices and high supply chain shortages exacerbating global hunger. Africa is feeling the heaviest effects. Ukraine is one of the largest producers of wheat. Russia’s introduction of a naval blockade and attacks on the country’s energy grid resulted in a reduction in wheat exports from 5 to 7 million tons per month before the war to 3.5 million tons per month between March and November 2022. More than 345 million people are feeling the impact of the global food crisis, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). The International Monetary Fund (IMF) highlights that more than 48 countries that the global food crisis affected will require more than $4.1 billion in aid in 2023. However, there are initiatives and methods to help alleviate and provide solutions to address world hunger.

United Nations Year of Millets

The initiative began in 2021, a year before Russia invaded Ukraine, which caused an unprecedented global food crisis. Before expanding on the goals and outcomes the initiative hopes to achieve, it is essential to discuss what millets are and what are the ways to address world hunger in 2023. Millets are grains that come from small seed grasses and many around the world grow them in abundance. People have been consuming millet for more than 7,000 years and they are important in terms of contributing to multi-crop agriculture and establishing farming societies.

Developing countries like India, Niger and Nigeria (more than 97%) heavily produce millet and they continue to be a stable form of the crop in these regions today, Impakter reports. This is because millet can survive droughts and other environmental challenges, making it a sustainable form of nutrition. Furthermore, the efforts required to grow the crops are minimal as they are highly adaptable in the soils they grow in, be they poor or fertile. As a source of nutrition, millets have high protein, minerals, fiber and iron and are gluten-free. Therefore, these grains are an excellent source to help countries “increase self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on imported cereal grains,” according to Impakter.

Karnataka, India officially adopted the United Nations Year of Millets. Millet grows in abundance there and India spearheads the initiative. The primary objective of Year of Millets consists of generating international awareness of millets which will ultimately result in a solution to the global food crisis because millets not only have the ability to grow in adverse environments and are sources of high nutrition but they also are sources of new sustainable market opportunities. The greater generation of international awareness of millet could solve world hunger in 2023 or be a step towards solving world hunger.

Immediate International Action

Another one of the ways to address world hunger is through more significant international involvement and efforts to help generate a financial cushion to support initiatives that tackle the food crisis and ensure that there are alternatives in place to ensure food security. Organizations like WFP and the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) also require adequate global funding to operate efficiently to help address world hunger and generate awareness regarding the consequences of food insecurity. Furthermore, organizations that conduct their programs in countries experiencing extreme food insecurity require a stable source of funding from donors and international organizations through grants and concessional financing to operate programs such as cash assistance programs for people that the global food crisis affected.

A way to address world hunger in 2023 is through a calculated and organized approach which people can achieve through international awareness and engagement to ensure maximized efficiency of the efforts and effective use of the resources to help address the global food crisis.

In addition, the IMF mentions that even with international support, more significant efforts are necessary to help address the global food crisis and hopefully address world hunger. This means aiming financing at the most vulnerable sections of populations suffering from the food crisis. The funding should come through humanitarian aid, grants and long-term concessional financing, according to IMF Notes. Furthermore, the IMF views debt financing as an exemplary method for addressing the food crisis. It will ensure that people can use the funds to spend on food and other necessities.

Nutrition the Way to Save Lives

According to the WFP’s Global Operational Response Plan, “prioritizing the nutrition of pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under 5 is key to saving lives and building resilient communities and economies.” This is because, statistically, the global food crisis is one of the most significant threats to children under 5, constituting one-fifth of children out of 60 million. In addition, children under 5 who suffer from acute and chronic malnutrition are at greater risk of death.

The WFP’s approach to addressing global food takes a targeted approach that can provide fruitful results in addressing world hunger in 2023. Therefore, the World Food Programme highlights that one of the ways to address world hunger in 2023 is the prioritization of nutrition for women and children under the age of 5 suffering from global food insecurity because access to nutritious diets is scarce.

To achieve this, Specialized Nutritious Foods (SNFs) are necessary in ensuring the proper nourishment of women and children. SNFs “help prevent and treat malnutrition and reduce mortality among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women by improving nutrient adequacy, strengthening immune systems and enabling proper weight gain.” Despite the high demand and prices for SNFs because of the war in Ukraine, the World Food Programme continues to tackle food insecurity and malnutrition at its core.

Addressing world hunger in 2023 along with rising inflation and greater demand for food appears complicated due to the disruption of global supply chains due to the war in Ukraine, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic and environmental challenges. However, greater international cooperation between nonprofit organizations like the WFP, the IMF and the United Nations, alongside their partners and the international community, will make it possible to address world hunger in 2023.

– Arijit Joshi
Photo: Flickr