The Hunger Project’s mission is to end hunger by 2030 through sustainable, holistic solutions. Due to climate change, levels of people living in hunger have been on the rise since 2015. Understanding how climate change affects the communities where we work is critical to provide the resources and capacity-building needed to better prepare the communities to respond to climate risks.
Climate change and poverty reduction are intertwined. The vast majority of people in hunger live in rural regions. They rely heavily on agriculture and their well-being closely tied to the natural environment. They are especially vulnerable to extreme weather events like droughts and flooding, which are often exacerbated by climate change. Weather-related events linked to climate change affect food availability in many countries and contribute to the rise in food insecurity. Climate-related events can limit food accessibility and availability through a number of channels. Drought is especially dangerous to communities as it diminishes livestock and agricultural productivity, thus instigating more broadly held grievances.
Improving environmental and climate resilience in rural communities is crucial to our work. We empower the communities we work in with the tools, skills and resources they need to adapt to climate risks and protect their future through our Climate Resilience program. This includes working on environmental sustainability, sustainable agriculture, climate adaption and risk management. These are some of the initiatives that we work on with our village partners.
Promote sustainable farming practices
At our epicentres in Africa, partners create community farms where villagers learn composting, intercropping and other methods to improve crop yields, restore soil fertility and make the best use of scarce resources.
Increase access to sustainable agriculture technology
The Hunger Project provides training and credit, mobilising people to adopt sustainable agricultural technology and practices, and encouraging them to demand agricultural extension services from their government.
Raise awareness of and build capacity to adapt to climate change
In India, The Hunger Project and its partners hold workshops to build our partners’ capacity to exercise leadership, take steps to reduce their vulnerability and formulate strategies to mitigate climate change risks. At the regional and international level, we also advocate for the conservation of natural resources, the mitigation of the harmful effects of extractive industries, and the recovery and promotion of traditional knowledge and technology that is highly adaptable to changing climate conditions.
Facilitate reforestation and tree-planting campaigns
Throughout our program countries, trained village partners establish tree nurseries to reforest their communities and control soil erosion. These can also become entrepreneurial village businesses, supplying families with fruit trees that not only capture carbon but also provide nutrition and income.
Form Climate Committees
Along with training all of our Animators (local volunteer leaders) on climate change in their communities, Climate Committees are formed across our epicentres in Africa. These committees are made up of at least 50% women as well as youth participants who lead activities, promote and create partnerships, support farmers to adapt to changes and help produce and review the communities action plan against climate change.
The communities we work with have proven their resilience in the face of harsh conditions time and time again and, equipped with the right tools, will continue to do so.