Food and Sustainable Livelihoods

Food and Sustainable Livelihoods

Hunger is not inevitable. It is an issue of justice.

The Situation

The world produces more food today than at any time in history. Yet one in eight people go to bed hungry every night. In developing countries, the hungry are often farmers and mostly women.

Small-scale farmers often lack basic necessities such as access to fertile land, water, credit, knowledge, and extension services. Climate change and increasingly erratic weather patterns are compounding these problems, disrupting agriculture and food supplies, and making small-scale farming in many regions harder and more precarious.

Women, who grow much of the world's food, face some of the biggest hurdles of all.

Women do not receive the same support as men farmers do. They have less access to land, loans and machinery. Many women work the land or are employed in informal, casual work, so when things go wrong, they are the first to lose their jobs and go without when household budgets shrink.

Malnutrition, disease, chronic rural poverty, and stunted economic development result when small farmers cannot earn decent livelihoods.

Our development projects to fight poverty rely on two important approaches: providing emergency food assistance and establishing sustainable ways for people to earn a living.

DETAILS

LOCATION
Where needed most

DURATION
Varies between 1-4 years

OUR SUPPORTERS
The Government of Canada and generous Canadian donors.

New logo from government of Canada that reads, in partnership with Canada.

Why do we focus on food and livelihoods?

75%
The percentage of people living in poverty. They reside in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods.
43%
The percentage of women who make up agricultural labour in developing countries.
2 X
Women farmers face a double burden: growing their families' food and doing unpaid household chores and care work.

What are we doing?

DISTRIBUTE

Distribution of seeds, de-stocking or re-stocking of livestock, provision of animal care, to help support agricultural production.

STIMULATE

Distribute cash or vouchers to stimulate the local economy, support access to long-term loan programs as well as business skills training.

CAMPAIGN

Campaign against global trade rules that keep people trapped in poverty.

Farm to Table

Learn more about tomato tree project in Rwanda, featuring Flonira.

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They used to have a garden where we planted sorghum and maize, but last year, army worms destroyed the crops. Now, we don't have crops, we don't have food, and my sons are struggling to find money. The goods in the market are so expensive and my sons can no longer afford them. These days, we rely mostly on wild grasses and weeds. We boil them and we eat them. It makes us sick, it gave us diarrhea and dysentery before, but what else can we do? We need to survive.

Ayichi, late 50s, South SudanRelies on her two sons to support her

Support people create sustainable livelihoods through the power of agriculture and food production.

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