ashley snyder/2/18/08/11:42pm/food scarcity/post 4(i think)
"Buying local" will take on a new role as the WFP plans to turn their food buying into sustainable markets for low-income farmers around the world. The WFP recently purchased $55 million from low-income farmers in Uganda, which is the largest amount spent out of their $760 million budget. The WFP buys their foodstuffs from low-income farmers, but now wants to turn the market around and by 2015; have those same low-income farmers (mostly women) able to produce large surpluses of food, sell them at a fair price, and be able to pull themselves out of poverty. This not only offers a solution to WFP food buying, but one solution to poverty itself. Rising costs of fuels, bureaucracy, and conflict prevent WFP from getting food to hungry peoples, but buying more locally ables people to get their food more quickly and efficiently, while supporting the area.
The FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization) is also setting up a program in 5 African countries that will teach farmers to "produce crops more efficiently, set up small enterprises, and make the most out of their few resources."
I think both of these organizations plans are good steps forward. Combating the poverty that in turn produces the need for the WFP and food supplies is a huge deal. You can give a man a fish... The FAO is also playing a huge part by teaching those farmers new ways of producing food, which supports the same goal as the WFP.
http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/current/Business/biz1802200812.htm
1 comment:
This is a great effort to try and reduce poverty. It not only helps out people immediately but teaches them to fend for themselves. The WFP is really benefitting the local farmers in Uganda and hopefully that money will filter through the rest of Africa's economy. I also like how they are looking out for the women and making an effort to help them out of poverty. This shows they understand the feminization of poverty and are making a conscious effort to improve on it.
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