Archive for category: Food Security

Information and stories about food security news.

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Benefitting from the Green Revolution in Africa

 

green_revolution_in_africa
A Green Revolution is the process of renovating agricultural practices, techniques and equipment that results in more prosperous and successful agricultural production. The first Green Revolution occurred in Mexico in the 1940s and the agricultural modifications used to spur the revolution spread worldwide in the following decades.

Green Revolutions are made possible through mechanized equipment and the use of irrigation and fertilization. Prior to many Green Revolutions countries such as Mexico and the United States were not producing enough crops to feed their citizens so they were forced to import products.

In the 1940s, the U.S. imported more than half of its wheat. However, after undergoing their Green Revolution they were able to produce a significantly greater supply and were not only able to stop importing wheat but also became wheat exporters. Cutting the cost of importing and generating a profit from exporting.

While Green Revolutions were sprouting up across the world, Africa became one area that was largely excluded from the benefits of revolutionizing agriculture. The lack of a Green Revolution in Africa can be directly tied to the overwhelming level of poverty throughout much of the African continent and especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Roughly 400 million people in Africa live in poverty and the majority of them live on farms. African farmers face poor soil, unreliable water supplies, restricted access to markets, insufficient access to finance and credit compounded by little government support.

Without a shift in the farming techniques and tools used throughout African countries, farmers will continue to struggle to grow enough crops to earn a living wage or feed their fellow countrymen.

Some countries are starting to show signs of Green Revolutions and there are many organizations, such as AGRA, that are working to assist in this process; but with so many people lacking food and an adequate income, an agricultural boost could be a major step towards decreasing the striking poverty levels throughout Africa.

AGRA is an organization that has developed and implemented several programs designed specifically to increase African agriculture. They currently work within 17 different African countries with programs to improve soil health, market access and policies and advocacy for farmers.

A Green Revolution in Africa could allow countries to gain economic stability, decrease food insecurity and empower farmers to not only feed their own countries but the world. Turning a country from an importer to an exporter can unlock potential and generate incredible economic progress.

– Brittney Dimond

Sources: AGRA, About, Huff Post,
Photo: thedailyeye

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Social Entrepreneurs Fostering Feasible, Sustainable Change

social_entrepreneursThis year Echoing Green, an organization devoted to effecting long-term social growth, has partnered with USAID’s Global Development Lab to sponsor social entrepreneurs and projects in developing countries. This funding will lead to social growth, encourage investment in local individuals and create a more supportive environment for social entrepreneurship.

The projects will offer market-based solutions to provide resources for those in need, expand job opportunities and improve the well-being of local people and their communities.

The partnership, called Priming the Pump, is a global development network supported by General Atlantic, Newman’s Own Foundation, the Pershing Square Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and Echoing Green.

With more than $4 million in funding, the partnership seeks out and invests in early development innovators for social change who pose solutions to issues present in developing countries.

Fellows receive $90,000 over two years to help advance their initiatives and participate in mentoring from international development professionals and global networking programs. So far, Priming the Pump has empowered 29 Fellows from 20 organizations in developing nations.

This year, USAID’s funding will help 15 entrepreneurs jump-start their visions.

One project, developed by Jehiel Oliver in Nigeria and nicknamed the “Uber for Tractors,” allows farmers to order tractors through SMS texts. This allows farmers with limited access to labor to plow their fields quickly and more cheaply. It gives financial gain to small farmers as well as tractor drivers who are contracted to do such work.

Another project receiving funding is the Tujenge Africa Foundation created by Etienne Mashuli and Wendell Adjetety. Both survivors of the Rwandan civil war and genocide, Etienne and Wendell are living examples of how quality education can help people escape poverty and violence.

Through education, leadership programming and peacemaking, their organization helps post-conflict African youth excel and define their own futures.

There are many other groups receiving funding for change such as Love Grain, which builds farming co-ops and supports supply chains to connect teff farmers in Ethiopia with international markets.

Suyo is another initiative that helps low-income families in Latin America secure rights over their property and transforms economic security; while The Open Medicine Project uses mobile technologies to pair healthcare workers in South Africa, India and Pakistan with informational resources and support tools to help them improve their work and save lives.

Funding from organizations such as Echoing Green and USAID will provide developers and their projects with the resources to expand their technology and access to help create real change in their communities and nations.

– Jenny Wheeler

Sources: Echo in Green 1, Echo in Green 2
Sources: Flickr

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Ecosystem Based Adaptation for Food Security Conference

Ecosystem Based Food Security Conference 2015
More than 1,400 participants gathered in Nairobi, Kenya for the second annual Ecosystem Based Adaptation for Food Security Conference. This year’s theme is “Re-imagining Africa’s Food Security Now and into the Future under a Changing Climate,” and the conference included round tables, discussions and plenary sessions that explored how to sustainably use African soils.

The overarching idea behind the conference was to generate discussion and propose solutions to Africa’s food crisis by focusing on using the resources at hand and capitalizing on existing adaptations in the food production chain that may aid food producers in the face of impending climate change.

The conference did not just focus on food production, however, but also addressed the labor behind food production, including supporting the expansion of local agricultural businesses and employment for women and youth in Africa.

Building on the thematic discussions throughout the conference, attendees had the opportunity to discuss how to maximize policy framework and develop an action plan to ensure not only food security, but livelihood security as well.

Organized in collaboration with a number of United Nations agencies, the conference took place July 30 and 31, 2015, at the U.N. Complex in Nairobi, Kenya.

– Gina Lehner

Sources: International Policy Digest, 2nd Africa Food Security Conference
Photo: EBASouthE

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Heat-Mapping for D.C. Food Insecurity

Heat-Mapping for D.C. Food Insecurity- BORGEN
The federal capital of one of the most powerful nations in the world is unfortunately also home to some of the worst food insecurity in the nation.

According to D.C. Hunger solutions — an initiative of the Food Research and Action Center — one in eight households, or 13.4 percent, in the District of Columbia struggles with hunger. In the surrounding suburban areas — one of the richest in the country — the number of people facing food insecurities has risen considerably in the past 8 years. Almost 346,000 residents in the DMV suburban area now live in suburban poverty.

These statistics have fed an exigent need to find new and improved methods to document, plan and combat hunger in the Greater Washington metropolitan area. The Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) serves the food security needs of this area, including the District of Columbia as well as counties in neighboring Maryland and Virginia. One of the largest obstacles in allocation of resources in this area is the disparity within the regions, as well as the undocumented presence of poverty and food insecurity.

In the midst of one of the most affluent neighborhoods in the country is what has been labelled as pockets of hunger. Establishment of food banks and food distribution programs in one part of the county or city is not enough to reach out to the entire population in need of assistance, particularly children.

The solution to this problem has been the heat mapping technology for hunger in the Washington metro area. Designed by Michael Hollister for the CAFB, the technology maps the amount of food distributed in every part of the Greater Washington region; the amount of food needed is layered on the map as well.

The data is obtained through census statistics, USDA records, Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap and food assistance programs’ inventories. The hunger map then shows the areas in greatest need with calculated food insecurity rates. The layered statistical data is color-coded, as in a heat map, for easier visual interpretation.

The meticulously worked out data and the subsequent mapping technology have allowed for more uniform distribution of food resources. In the District of Columbia, the heat map has allowed for a partnership between the CAFB and another D.C. nonprofit, Martha’s Table, to prioritize school locations in the area for provision of healthy lunches.

In Virginia, the heat mapping visualization has helped the CAFB’s northern Virginia branch to access mobile home parks. These mobile home parks, like Marumsco in Woodbridge, had been long overlooked by the food distributors as they are not very visible or well-known, in-need areas.

The map of the region with visually obvious red zones brought the needs of this community to the attention of CAFB. Thanks to the heat map, there is now a food bus at Marumsco distributing nutritious lunches to kids in need.

The objective of the heat mapping method is to effectively visualize the areas with unmet food needs. The misled perceptions of affluence — in the suburban areas especially — have in the past hindered the efficient distribution of food to areas in actual need. But with the contrivance of heat mapping, the food banks in the capital area will be able to extend a helping hand to everyone in need.

– Atifah Safi

Sources: Washington Post, Capital Area Foodbank, WAMU, Huffington Post, FRAC
Photo: Flickr

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How Insects May Solve World Hunger


In 2013, the United Nations reported that eating insects could reduce world hunger and food insecurity.

Eva Muller, a Director of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says, “Insects are not harmful to eat, quite the contrary. They are nutritious, they have a lot of protein and are considered a delicacy in many countries.”

In fact, scientists have discovered over 1,900 edible insects. Some of these include beetles, wasps, caterpillars, grasshoppers, worms and cicadas. Scientists also claim that insects have more protein than beef and other meats.

Insects may also be better for farming than pigs and cows. Not only are insects easier to raise, but they also require less water, feed on waste materials, and produce less greenhouse gasses than cows and pigs. Insect farming could even provide income-generating opportunities for people in rural areas, which ultimately could decrease poverty and end world hunger.

After the report was published, Muller said, “Consumer disgust remains one of the largest barriers to the adoption of insects as viable sources of protein in many Western countries.”

Recently, however, eating insects has gained more popularity.

Daniella Martin, author of the blog Girl Meets Bug, says, “At any angle you look at it, insects have the advantage. They’re ecologically sustainable, use fewer resources and are a high-protein option. It’s also cleaner than livestock.”

Insect recipes are proving to be incredibly trendy, but most importantly, accepted by consumers.

With this in mind, perhaps more researchers can perfect technologies to grow insects in large numbers to feed people all around the world.

Bugs can do more than save the lives of the hungry, but can also conserve our planet.

– Kelsey Parrotte

Sources: Armenpress, Business Insider 1, Business Insider 2,
Photo: BugsFeed

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Online Portal Connects Farmers and Grain Buyers

Online Portal Connects Farmers and Grain Buyers- BORGEN
In Nairobi, Kenya, an online platform has been launched to connect farmers to grain buyers. The Kenyan based IT firm Virtual City–in partnership with the Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC) and the Food Trade Eastern and Southern Africa Organization–developed this platform named G-Soko.

This online platform is designed to enable small farms in East Africa to sell their produce at favorable prices. As for millers, the G-Soko system is intended to guarantee the availability of quality stocks. These stocks are standardized and proven grading which reduces the need to carry out sampling to check quality, saving time and money for both parties.

The EAGC is partnering with the Secretariat to implement the East African Community (EAC) Food Security Action Plan, which is the EAC strategy to achieve food security in the region.

The executive director of EAGC, Gerald Masila, spoke at the launch of the platform. He “disclosed that G-Soko was part of a five-year trade enhancement and promotion programme in the region. [Because] linking rural food production zones in East Africa to urban consumption centres requires a well functioning regional market and that by adhering to the system, farmers in the region will, among others, be able to access credit while waiting for prices to increase through pledging the electronic warehouse receipt with the banks and agro-dealers.”

This aspect is especially beneficial to farmers because usually, once they are ready to sell a crop, they have to accept the going price that day. But with this platform, they are able to wait until prices are favorable and still access credit through their banks. Farmers are able to get more bank for their crop.

With this platform, farmers also benefit from reduced post-harvest losses through access to professional storage, cleaning and drying. Another plus is the improved prices offered through G-Soko, since many of them rely on farm-gate prices that deliver cash at lower prices.

G-Soko is an attractive platform to farmers because the “EAC continued support in automating agricultural crops trading systems and processes to reduce commercialisation cost and all related challenges and bridge the gap between farmers, traders, and consumers for increased food security in the region.”

The G-Soko is now operational in two of the EAC partner states, Uganda and Kenya. There are arrangements underway to extend the system to Tanzania and Rwanda before the Grains Farmers Summit in early October 2015.

The platform G-Soko is changing how farmers are able to sell their crops for the better. Not only are farmers able to sell their crops for the most favorable prices, but they have access to modern facilities for cleaning and storage.

This platform is making more money for local farmers rather than the large, commercialized farms. Not only is this platform helping local farmers, but it is also ensuring food security for the region.

– Kerri Szulak

Sources: African Research and Resource Forum, IT News Africa, Standard Digital
Photo: Flickr

 

 

 

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Food Companies Leading the Fight Against World Hunger

Food Companies Leading in the Fight Against World Hunger - BORGEN
One out of nine people in the world go to bed hungry according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The United Nations World Food Programme is dedicated to reducing global hunger by offering food aid to developing countries in need. WFP has provided food for more than 90 million people. WFP partners with and receives funding from a few well-known food companies.

Yum! brands started the World Hunger Relief campaign as the largest consumer outreach campaign on the hunger issue. It is the world’s largest restaurant company with more than 40,000 restaurants in 125 countries. It is leading in the fight against global hunger through the campaign, as well as through the mobilization of the 1.5 million employees as advocates for global hunger relief.

Yum! brands’ World Hunger Relief campaign has raised $100 million for WFP since 2007 with the help of global spokesperson Christina Aguilera. Yum! brands include Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnSf2xj6URs

PepsiCo is another partner of WFP. The company is more well known for its food and beverages than for the philanthropic PepsiCo Foundation. PepsiCo Foundation has donated $3.5 million to WFP to produce a food product made of chickpeas to help treat malnutrition in Ethiopia.

Unilever partners with WFP to make people more aware of global hunger through fundraising and campaigns as well as educational plans. They have targeted their consumer base in 13 countries in their campaigns against global hunger. Unilever has also assisted WFP in identifying what are the nutritional needs of the children to better help them.

Kellogg’s, though not a partner with WFP, does important work to fight global hunger. Kellogg’s donates over $20 million per year in food products for disaster relief and hunger. The company also has an initiative called “Breakfast for Better Days.” The initiative is focused on alleviating hunger specifically in South Africa, pledging to feed 25,000 children every school day in 2015. The company will dedicate one billion servings of Kellogg’s snacks and cereal for global poverty alleviation by 2016 and has donated nearly eight million breakfasts to FoodBank South Africa already.

An increase in awareness of global hunger has also increased the number of food companies coming on board to bring global hunger relief.

– Iona Brannon

Sources: World Food Programme 1, World Food Programme 2, Hunger to Hope, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Kellogg
Photo: Flickr

 

 

Climate Change and Food Security in the South Pacific

Climate Change and Food Security in the South Pacific
As climate change is debated hotly by the biggest carbon emitters of the world, temperatures increase and ocean levels rise, dramatically impacting the innocent. Although almost unnoticeable on the west coast of the U.S. or the harbors of Shanghai, the very same sea could soon be swallowing acres of farmland on tiny islands across the South Pacific, thus bringing the argument of climate change and food security to the forefront.

The Marshall Islands, a large grouping of 29 atolls located in the South Pacific Ocean, lies about halfway between Hawaii and Australia. Many of the islands only rise above the sea about two meters and are increasingly vulnerable to climate change.

According to The Japan Times, president of the Marshall Islands Christopher Loeak said the Pacific is fighting for its survival and climate change has already arrived.

Recently, the president declared a state of emergency for the Marshall Islands following some of the worst flooding ever experienced in conjunction with a severe drought. A freak tide nearly destroyed Majuro, a large coral atoll of 64 islands, breaching the sea wall and flooding the airport runway. A drought left 6,000 people surviving on less than one liter of water a day.

Many other South Pacific islands are experiencing the same problems. “Microstates,” as they’re called, including the Solomon’s, Tuvalu and the Carteret Islands are experiencing rapid erosion, higher tides, storm surges and inundation of wells with seawater. Kiribati, an island nation in the central Pacific Ocean comprised of 33 atolls and reef islands, is estimated by its president, Anote Tong, to be uninhabitable within the next 30 to 60 years. Its inhabitants from smaller surrounding islands are escaping the invading seawater and migrating to the capital south of Tarawa. The state is even planning the purchase of 2000 hectares in Fiji for farming and a possible place to live.

Although climate change might not be felt yet in some places of the world and those who profit from it work so tirelessly to bury the evidence, the effects are already changing in the islands of the South Pacific, a region of the world emitting only 0.1 percent of the planet’s carbon. The islander’s way of life is being jeopardized, threatening food security and stripping away their basic needs for survival.

In a 2007 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, observations were discussed on temperature rises in the South Pacific. In fact, compared to earlier historical records in the twentieth century, by 2003, it had become 15 percent drier and 0.8 degrees warmer. The ocean surface had risen about 0.4 degrees, altogether contributing to increased El Niño effects and cyclone frequency and intensity.

In the Pacific, about 70 percent of the main agriculture is geographically located to take advantage of the summer rainy season. Agriculture is therefore heavily dependent on seasonal rainfall for production, but rising temperatures and recurrent droughts are wreaking havoc on food supply and costing, on some occasions, more than island countries’ gross domestic products.

Many urban populations in the Pacific are now very much dependent on cheap foreign imports for their daily sustenance. However, according to a study by the University of Copenhagen in 2007, in the Solomon Islands, the majority of rural people still live and depend on subsistence food production and fisheries. A multitude of cultivated plants such as yams, taro sweet potatoes and other crops such as bananas and watermelon are still part of daily life.

In the recent past, El Niño events have devastated the sugarcane industry and killed off livestock totaling millions of dollars. Flooding and strong winds caused by tropical storms have, in the past, affected farming, but in the years to come it’s projected to only get worse. Precipitation variations are possible up to 14 percent on both sides of normal rainfall by the end of the century, according to the IPCC

Climate associated disasters such as tropical cyclones, flash floods and droughts impose serious constraints on development in the islands, so much so that some Pacific island nations seem to be in a constant mode of recovery. Food availability and people’s accessibility to food are among the first to be affected following such disasters.

The islands in the South Pacific are now leading the world by example, pursuing renewable energy for their power needs. They are beginning to substitute costly import-dependent diesel for homegrown coconut biofuel power and outer island communities are being converted to solar power. Tokelau, a territory of New Zealand, has become the first territory to become 100 percent solar-powered. The Cook Islands and Tuvalu are aiming to be all solar powered by 2020.

Someday, possibly in the not so distant future, the world may lose its jewel of the Pacific. The white sandy beaches and the sapphire seas will disappear for good, consumed by rising ocean waters.

– Jason Zimmerman

Sources: FAO, Japan Times
Photo: Flickr

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“Plant Doctors” Focus on Food Security

afghanistan10ahttps://borgenproject.org/plant-doctors-food-security/
When called upon to picture an agricultural hotbed, one hardly thinks of Afghanistan. However, according to USAID, 60 percent of Afghanistan’s population relies on agriculture for their livelihoods and sustenance needs.

Unfortunately, in the wake of decades-long conflict and neglect, damaged farmland and infrastructure prohibit the flourishing food trade that once characterized Afghanistan as a high-quality producer.

Agriculture accounts for 40 percent of Afghanistan’s gross domestic product; when plants die the whole nation suffers. Afghanistan is just one of many countries where farming challenges have a great deal of influence. Food insecurity is a massive global problem. Nearly 795 million people across the world are undernourished.

Low-income farmers in such countries as Kenya, Bolivia and Bangladesh make up an important part of their nations’ economies. When these farmers inevitably lose crops to disease and pests their livelihoods are jeopardized and starvation becomes a prevalent issue.

Plantwise, a program supported by international nonprofit CABI, has answered this challenge. Endeavoring to “increase food security and improve rural livelihoods by reducing crop losses,” Plantwise has made 10,000 plant health resources accessible to people in 33 countries across the developing world through their online knowledge bank and free Android app.

One of the program’s key efforts is the construction of clinics where farmers can come for diagnoses and answers to their questions on an individual basis.

Plantwise also works to build integrated plant health systems that connect the various people, suppliers and organizations involved in the agriculture process, as well as operating on national levels to help foster sustainable agricultural policies.

Another innovative aspect of the Plantwise program revolves around plant health. With some small farmers losing as much as 80 percent of their crops to disease and pest problems, the ability to heal sick plants is invaluable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv5hidzZe6k

By training more than 2,000 “plant doctors” capable of diagnosing and treating agricultural issues, Plantwise has fostered a growing network of sustainable plant care.

The quickly growing initiative has positively impacted 600,000 farmers with their efforts thus far. As of 2013, Plantwise has established 720 plant clinics, nearly twice the amount that existed the previous year.

The program hopes to reach millions by 2020, continuing to train plant doctors, build on its network of 168 partner organizations and working to nurture farming-friendly policies in developing nations.

Plantwise describes their vision as one of sustainability, hoping “to improve food security and rural livelihoods around the world, achieving maximum long-term benefits for the countries in which we’re present.” The initiative focuses on building from within, emphasizing partnerships with local people, organizations and governments.

Although food insecurity remains an issue, the instance of undernourishment has declined by 167 million over the past decade. The work of many such organizations and initiatives like Plantwise plays a vital role in the fight to eradicate hunger through sustainable, economically sound methods.

“I’m passionate about training the next generation of plant doctors,” stated Miriam Otipa, a native of rural Kenya and one of Plantwise’s experts. “I am doing my bit to help feed my village and my nation.”

– Emma-Claire LaSaine

Sources: Plantwise, USAID, Zambia Daily Mail, USAID, FAO
Photo: Gaurdian

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What Global Warming Means for Food Scarcity

 

What Global Warming Means for Food Scarcity
The number of devastating effects that global warming has on the Earth is already staggering. According to a new report, “increased food scarcity” is going to make that list a little longer.

The report, commissioned by the British government and carried out by the U.K.-U.S. Taskforce on Extreme Weather and Global Food System Resilience, warns of the effects that global climate change will have on the world’s food supply.

“The chance of having a weather-related food shock is increasing, and the size of that shock is also increasing,” said Tim Benton, a population ecology professor at Leeds University. “As these events become more frequent, the imperative for doing something about it becomes even greater.”

The report analyzed the world’s most prominent “commodity crops,” those being maize, soy, wheat and rice, and how extreme weather conditions would impact their availability. Since the majority of those crops come from a small number of countries (the U.S., China and India, primarily), extreme weather could greatly impact their production.

Perhaps the most startling statistic featured in the report is that by 2040, the severity of crop failures once estimated to only occur once a century, will start happening every three decades.

“Action is urgently needed to understand risks better, to improve the resilience of the global food system to weather-related shocks and to mitigate their impact on people,” Benton continued. “Governments and businesses need to prepare people for not being able to eat certain crops or products anymore.”

– Alexander Jones

Sources: Business Insider, BBC, Science Magazine
Photo: The Telegraph