Food Crisis
The global food crisis is impacting people all over the world, however the hardest hit are the very poorest people who typically spend around 80% of their income on food. Many of the communities that FARM-Africa works with are therefore particularly vulnerable.
For example, in Kenya the price of maize (the staple food crop) rose 43% between March 2008 and March 2009, and in Sudan the price of their staple foodstuff, sorghum rose by 68% between February 2008 and February 2009. *
With many African farmers unable to grow enough food to feed their families, the impact of increasing food prices is meaning whole communities are faced with the decision of eating less, or eating cheaper and less nutritious food.
Particularly hard hit are pastoral communities – pastoralists rear and sell livestock to buy food such as maize and rice. With food prices spiralling out of control and livestock prices struggling to keep up, the cost of a sack of sorghum in some communities has risen from one goat to two.
Investment in rural farming communities and their capacity to become self sufficient is therefore of the upmost importance. With 25 years experience working on the ground in Africa FARM-Africa is uniquely placed to drive this process forward.
FARM-Africa’s projects on the ground focus on increasing food production, and increasing incomes for smallholder farmers, pastoralists and forest communities. But more importantly we are proactively sharing our knowledge with African governments and major funders in both the Western world and Africa. With greater investment and the increased profile of agricultural development on the global agenda we believe there is potential for the situation to improve.
* Source FAO Crop Prospects and Food Situation Report April 2009.
