The hunger map of Africa sums the challenge up... and it leads me to think that what is needed is action.
From my perspective food, farming and production may seem a long way from the industry that I work in - community development and the built environment. But of course the two are completely intertwined. So I am thinking about some of the issues that I have read about over the last few days within Urgent Evoke and some of the opportunities that they represent.
There are opportunities to build some of the food security / sustainability issues into the development project - and there by build the business case for the project. For example, window boxes can be used to grow kitchen herbs - this may seem trite but actually those herbs can be selected to treat common colds, flu, headaches and prevent other diseases. There has been research done on these areas in India. Another approach could be to build the project's business case with food security drivers in mind. Another example is that if your project / development is seen as a supporter of the community and its food security then it will not be seen as a asset to the community - rather than a potential target if there are food riots (which is a distinct possibility with the climate changing in Sub-Saharan Africa).
I am sure that there are many better examples than this. The concept is how do you build the business case for your project, using this tangible and inevitable driver. This will happen in the community, so is your project positioned to provide service in this area. Whatever your motivation, be it building your reputation or taking out 'insurance' the result is the same. Better food security.
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