5 Dedicated Groups Working Toward Food Security For All

People need consistent access to nutritious food in order to lead healthy lives. Accomplishing this is made complex by a wide range of factors, including the increasing population and climate change. The following groups, listed here in no particular order, are working to increase food security in communities around the world.

First up, at #1, we have the African Agricultural Technology Foundation. This organization is dedicated to increasing the productivity of resource-poor farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. It supports smallholders in their quest for access to the best digital and mechanization solutions.

The foundation is committed to using sustainable technologies to build an agriculture sector that contributes to a food and nutrition secure Africa. The group has undertaken initiatives to develop regulatory frameworks, ranging from the establishment of guidelines to meet international food safety standards, to the adoption of environmentally-friendly techniques such as switching to biopesticides.

At #2, we have African Sky. This group assists farmers, community organizations, and others working to bolster local food production despite challenges such as low and erratic rainfall. Its philosophy of community development is based on the belief that humanity’s physical, ecological, and spiritual well-being is rooted in universal compassion and sustainable living.

Together with our friends and colleagues in Mali, African Sky promotes capacity-building, empowers individuals through education, and develops innovative leaders for social change. Our philosophy of community development is based on the belief that humanity’s physical, ecological, and spiritual well-being is rooted in universal compassion and sustainable living.

The most enduring food security project of African Sky is the creation of community cereal banks, through which farmers can avoid the volatile local market. It also provides modest emergency assistance to families facing critical breakdowns in household food production.

In the #3 spot, we have the Crop Wild Relatives Project. It focuses on collecting the wild relatives of priority crops, providing the opportunity to improve the productivity and resilience of agriculture. As the population of the world increases and climate change intensifies, exacerbating the spread of pests and diseases, this work becomes increasingly important.

Crop wild relatives contain a multitude of genes of potential value for plant breeding. The project has the potential to significantly contribute to climate change adaptation, while providing mitigation co-benefits, and to help facilitate the transition towards more resilient, low-carbon economies and societies.

Coming in at #4 is the Crawford Fund, which seeks to increase Australia’s engagement in international agricultural research and development. The group raises awareness of the benefits of investment and involvement in work for food and nutrition security, and the many other impacts of agricultural research.

The fund supports journalists, allowing them to visit agricultural research projects to talk with scientists and farmers, and to get out in the field to gain an understanding of the research and its implications. It also holds a range of innovative events on vital aspects of training and development, including an annual conference to address key issues related to food security.

Lastly, at #5, is the Second Harvest Food Bank. The group works to feed people in Santa Cruz County who have no access to basic food, and to advocate for policies that tackle the root causes of hunger. It carries out its work through partner agencies which include recovery centers, group homes, pantries, after-school programs, shelters, and more.

The organization serves several thousand county residents each month with over half being children. It delivers education directly through two innovative nutrition programs, Food For Children, and Passion For Produce.