World Food Day is celebrated annually on 16 October to promote global awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger.
Millions of people around the world cannot afford a healthy diet, which puts them at high risk of food insecurity and malnutrition. In fact, last year according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for the United Nations, global hunger rose to 828 million people — 9.8% of the world’s population.
But ending hunger isn’t only about supply. There is currently enough food produced to feed everyone on the planet. The problem is access and availability of nutritious food, which is increasingly impeded by multiple challenges related to conflict, climate change, inequality, rising prices and international tensions. People around the world are suffering as a result, often due to reasons that extend beyond their borders and their control.
With roughly 9.2% of the world’s population living in extreme poverty, around 80 percent reside in rural areas where they rely on agriculture as their main resource. As a result, these individuals are severely impacted by the natural and man-made disasters precipitated by climate change. In addition, due to their socio-economic status, it is often difficult to “gain access to training, finance, innovation and technologies”, according to FAO.
Case Study: Karamoja, Uganda
In February 2017 Innovation: Africa spent time in the area of Karamoja in Uganda. Hunger levels had reached such a serious point that for survival, people there were forced to eat leaves and drink blood from cows. During the team’s visit, 37 people died from starvation.
Innovation: Africa’s team spent time in six villages, drilling, building and installing solar water pumping systems. These systems in turn granted 15,000 people access to clean water for the first time.
The critical link between water and food
Agriculture is at the heart of Africa’s economy and has an extensive social footprint. It accounts for 14% of the total GDP in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the majority of employment for the continent’s population. But, due to increasing water scarcity, Africa is simply not able to reach its full agricultural potential, leaving many to face the negative impact of climate change without any help. Serious adverse effects on food security and on livelihoods at the regional, national and individual household levels are becoming increasingly prevalent.
For this reason, it is imperative that we find ways to leverage ground water projects to empower rural communities that do not have access to water. In doing so, we can provide water in homes and farms that will result in more locally-sourced foods.
In terms of farming, when local grids are unreliable or in some cases non-existent, solar-powered, efficient micro-irrigation can increase farm-level incomes by five to 10 times, improving yields by up to 300% and reducing water usage by up to 90%. This has incredible economic impact for communities relying on farming to keep themselves sustained and bring in life-changing revenue. This is the sort of solution is that drives Innovation: Africa in its efforts to bring water to villages across Africa.