Empowering Communities

FOOD PRODUCERS ARE THE MOST FOOD-DEPRIVED

It may sound strange, but the fact is farmers and food producers are some of the most food-insecure members of society. Farm yields are constrained by availability and affordability of quality seeds and fertilizers. Climate change has made weather patterns unpredictable, which affects planting and harvesting seasons, as well as the availability of fodder for animal herds. Those in rural areas often lack access to markets where they can get a fair price for their produce. For small and marginal farmers – who constitute over 80 per cent of India’s farming community – the situation is much worse as they are faced with volatile markets, lack of access to credit/capital, increased inputs costs and lack of access to technological innovations.

AGRICULTURE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS

Under the Hunger-Free Communities initiative, Rise Against Hunger India implements projects that bolster agricultural production, increase household incomes and ensure year-round access to diverse foods to communities. With training and access to quality seeds and fertilizers, farmers can increase production and harvest a variety of nutritious crops. Our programs focus on improving agricultural practices, promoting agroecological methods, enhancing soil and water management. and developing climate adaptive agricultural practices. Farmers receive training, exposure visits, and access to quality seeds and inputs. We have also undertaken special projects under the leadership of our Center for Climate Response and Resilience (C2R2) to formulate climate adaptive farming practices.

LIVELIHOOD AND INCOME GENERATION ACTIVITIES

In rural communities, we support families for poultry and livestock rearing both as an income generation as well as dietary improvement project. Goat rearing, pig-farming and backyard poultry projects in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha have been very successful in the past.

For those with not enough land or those who are landless, we support family members in developing income-generating skills. Community-based enterprise and skill development projects have successfully helped women increase their household incomes in Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar. First time women entrepreneurs in Bonda tribe (one of the particularly vulnerable tribal groups – earlier known as primitive tribe) have learned making intricate designs. With marketing support from Rise Against Hunger India, these women are getting exposure to the digital market space.

Given the fact that most of the families we work with are marginal and subsistence level producers, some even without the basic resources, we adopt a multi-layered approach almost similar to the graduation model in securing livelihood at the household level. The approach Rise Against Hunger India has adopted is called Transformative Micro-livelihood Approach (TMLA) that creates diverse source of income (small scale production, farming, livestock, small business etc.). The other major factor we take into account is to prepare communities to deal with shocks and uncertainties so that they do not fall back to a situation of food insecurity. Thus, building resilience to the shocks and stresses forms an integral part of our community empowerment program pathway.

Our Actions Are Our Future - Take Action!

Climate issues, Conflict and COVID Pandemic have rendered millions without stable and safe access to food.Â On the other hand, consumption of high-calorie, high-sugar, oil-rich fatty food is leading to high level of obesity and overweight.Â The UN Food & Agriculture Organization reports that more than 3 billion or nearly 40% of world’s population cannot afford a healthy diet.

This need not be so though.Â We are not passive recipient but active participant in the the planet’s food systems.Â Our actions will lead to better planet and a better future.Â Learn how you can make a difference to a healthier and hunger-free planet.