FIDR is a non-governmental organization working to support children in developing countries and people affected by disasters.

Food

A World Problem - Insufficient food for subsistence

Approximately 680 million people in the world (one in ten people on the earth)* are experiencing starvation. As the global population continues to rise, alongside environmental problems, methods used in managing food security has become an important matter. The second goal of “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs), which was set by the international society to eliminate poverty from the world, is “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.”

The main cause of starvation is chronic poverty. Around 75 %** of people suffering from starvation are poor farmers in rural areas of developing countries. They require land, water, seed, fertilizer, and such for agriculture. However, poor farmers cannot afford to buy seed and fertilizer. For that reason, their food productivity is low and it is difficult to produce sufficient amount of food to meet their needs.

In addition to chronic food shortage caused by poverty, natural disaster is another major factor of starvation. Disasters such as a droughts, floods, and landslides directly hit small-scale farmers. In recent years, such disasters have been more frequent under the influence of extreme weather. Developing countries barely possess enough food supply in case of disasters and there are few policies to tackle the economic losses.

Main Causes

・Low agricultural productivity
・Low income and low purchasing power
・Internal economic disparities and occupancy of wealth by small number of the rich

Our Approach

In the mountainous area of Vietnam, rice is cultivated by traditional farming methods, in which yields are low, and thus residents have been experiencing food shortages that causes unstable income. FIDR implemented a comprehensive community development project and spread the SRI farming method, a rice cultivation method that can achieve high yields, without relying on breed improvement, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides. The project succeeded in increasing rice productivity, which led to the improvement of food shortage in the area.