Organized by charities and faith groups and with celebrity backing, the IF campaign aims to help people in developing countries get enough food by addressing the underlying causes of hunger, including land grabs, tax avoidance and a lack of transparency from those investing in poorer countries.
At the 2013 World Economic Forum in Davos, the current imbalance in world food production and consumption was addressed in a new report. Called A New Vision for Agriculture, the report highlighted the world's 500 million smallholders, who support 2 billion people and comprise 97 per cent of the global agricultural holdings. They produce food for almost 70 per cent of the world's population.
This report follows hot on the heels of some worrying news from the UK; according to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (ImechE), almost half of the world's food is wasted. Western consumer demand for cosmetically perfect food, along with "poor engineering and agricultural practices", inadequate infrastructure and poor storage facilities were cited as reasons for this waste.
As well as signing up to these campaigns, if volunteering is your thing, you can do something more hands-on to help farmers and food producers in developing countries. Organizations such as Projects Abroad offer the chance to make a real difference on the ground, volunteering in projects from sustainable agriculture to plant and animal conservation.
Projects Abroad offers an enormous variety of projects in 28 destinations. Volunteers gain valuable work experience while discovering a new culture and helping those less fortunate than themselves.
As a volunteer in Africa you can make a real difference in countries such as Ghana and South Africa, helping to develop sustainable agriculture systems with local farmers.
Imogen Rimmer volunteered on conservation projects in South Africa, and learned some amazing facts about plants there: One day my group was learning about the medicinal uses of trees: do you know that the vast majority of tree bark can help treat diarrhoea due to the chemical tannin; another interesting fact I learnt!
The experience also had its funny moments, as Imogen shares: We were walking through the bush when Andrew, one of the Projects Abroad staff members, was trying to find the seed of a tree to talk about it. One of the guys in my group picked up something and asked if that was the seed and Andrew replied 'No, thats impala poo.' It was hilarious!
Getting involved in a volunteer project is an immensely rewarding experience. What's more, volunteering in a sustainable agricultural project in Africa or elsewhere in the world can help local food producers to continue to do what they do best: feeding their communities and making a living, avoiding the pitfalls of the wasteful western culture.
About Projects Abroad Canada:
Established in 1992, Projects Abroad is a leading organizer of volunteer projects, work experience and gap year placements. With a flexible approach and experienced in-country staff, Projects Abroad has now helped more than 50,000 volunteers achieve their goals by working with developing communities in more than 25 destinations worldwide.
Orignal From: Projects Abroad enables volunteers to help efforts to redress global food imbalance
No comments:
Post a Comment