Responding to the Global Food Crisis
CHF is working in a number of countries in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean where rising food prices over the past year have caused serious concern.
In June 2008, CHF sent a questionnaire to its developing country partners to find out how much food prices have risen in their region and how this is affecting the ultra poor in our projects. Responses were received from partners in Bangladesh, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Kenya and Guyana.
Feedback from our partners helps CHF to figure out what it might take to mitigate the impact of the crisis. Such an understanding will also strengthen the capacity of CHF to engage in policy dialogue on the food price crisis at the national and international levels.
CHF’s report, Responding to the Global Food Price Crisis synthesizes the responses received. It also outlines the responses of the Canadian government and international organizations to the global food crises, and identifies a number of considerations that CHF believes must be taken into account in addressing the crisis.
Join CHF’s Facebook Group!
Join the CHF Cause on Facebook. You’ll get exclusive newsfeeds and meet a community of like-minded people. It’s easy – just go to CHF’s home page at www.chf-partners.ca and click on the “Join Us On Facebook” button.
CHF Launches Gifts That Matter 2008
It’s what we wait for all year – the latest crop of fantastic alternative gifts that can transform lives for the rural poor. CHF’s Gifts That Matter enable families challenged by poverty overseas to become self-sufficient. From seeds and chicks to clean water systems and goats, Gifts That Matter has something for everyone on your list.
This year, CHF has added some new items — a camel, for example, provides transport, milk and income for a family in Ethiopia. A cassava mill for a community in Guyana replaces the arduous task of hand grinding, while increasing productivity.
A fish pond provides a vital source of protein for a vulnerable family in remote Quy Chau district in Vietnam, while a milking cow offers both nutrition and income for a family in Bangladesh.
Holiday Hamper New This Year!
Plus, this year, you have the option of giving the Gifts That Matter Holiday Hamper. It’s like 12 gifts in one! Each Hamper includes:
• 2 goats
• 8 chicks
• 1 donkey
• 1 pack of seeds
You can pay $185 all at once, or make monthly donations of just $15.42 for 12 months. Plus, you’ll receive 12 Gifts That Matter greeting cards to tell the people on your list how the gifts you’re giving are helping to change lives.
Find out more at www.giftsthatmatter.ca
Stuffed and Starved
By Raj Patel
Half the world is malnourished, the other half obese — both symptoms of the corporate food monopoly. To show how a few powerful distributors control the health of the entire world, Raj Patel conducts a global investigation. What he uncovers is shocking — the real reasons for famine in Asia and Africa, an epidemic of farmer suicides, and the false choices and conveniences in supermarkets. Yet he also finds hope — in international resistance movements working to create a more democratic, sustainable and joyful food system.
McGill Conference on Global Food Security, Montreal
September 24 – 26, 2008
The McGill Conference on Global Food Security brings together leading international experts in agriculture, food and nutrition, policy and development to discuss long-term solutions to declining world food stocks and rising food prices. CHF’s Sheri Arnott, Program Manager for Southern Africa, will be participating as one of the panelists during the Conference. There will be a public lecture on the first evening, September 24 at 5:00 pm, titled The Politics of Agriculture and Food Security. For more information, click here.