Our food system is broken. Transformation of agriculture and the food system is urgently needed to address the multiple challenges of climate and ecological crisis, as well as livelihoods and food crisis.
VSO community, national, and international volunteers are supporting marginalised groups, such as, young people, women smallholder farmers, school children and people with disabilities, to engage in community and national food dialogues.
Our volunteers empower these groups to take action towards transforming our food system to promote social and environmental justice.
A snap shot of global food insecurity
33%
33% of food produced globally is either lost or wasted.
3 billion
3 billion people were unable to have healthy diets in 2019, due to the high cost of eating healthy coupled with high levels of income inequality.
811m
811 million people were going to bed hungry in 2020 – 118 million more than in 2019.
149m
149 million children under the age of five were estimated to have stunted growth or considered too short for their age in 2020.
Members of the all-women farming collective with their yields harvested from the field in Rangpur, northern Bangladesh.
Bangladesh
To overcome the lack of employment opportunities and low wages in rural Bangladesh, 1,800 young people have been supported with training, microgrants and business advice to find environmentally friendly and equitable employment.
Philippines
During the pandemic, volunteers distributed food parcels to those in need. As well as food, the packages contained tools, seeds and equipment so families could grow their own vegetables.
Deodigard, an agriculture extension officer in Tanzania has been working with VSO volunteers to inform farmers of good agronomic practices such as using environmentally friendly fertilisers.
Tanzania
We’re working with over 3,000 farmers to improve agricultural practices, such as methods to reduce food waste and increase yields. These farmers are now harvesting 90% more crops than before.
Ethiopia
We’ve supported over 3,000 small-scale rice farmers to improve harvesting practices and the quality of their yields. This has led to less rice being wasted during the harvest.
Uganda
VSO has given over $20,000 worth of cash, vouchers and emergency supplies to over 4,000 people who were facing hunger during the pandemic, keeping families and their small businesses afloat.
