Food security challenges have been compounded in recent years by high food prices, natural disasters, conflict, and poor governance; and will be further compounded, as global demand for food, fodder and bioenergy crops grows, climatic variability increases, diets change and natural resources are depleted.
To reduce hunger, improving agriculture on small farms is critical. World Vision is committed to helping parents provide for their children by improving the productivity, sustainability and resilience of small farms in three ways:
- Protecting the natural resource base on which agriculture depends
- Empowering families and interdependent communities
- Promoting just systems and structures
While many countries are making great progress toward achieving the 2015 Millennium Development Goal of halving the proportion of people who suffer from hunger, achieving food security in sub-Saharan Africa remains a great challenge. Specific to its work in sub-Saharan Africa, World Vision promotes three core approaches:
- Soil Conserving Agriculture
- Savings Groups
- Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration of Trees
These core approaches help build the livelihood capitals of smallholder farmers and thereby build well-being and enhance resilience against shocks. It is on this foundation that other programming interventions build.
