Browse by Theme: Food Security

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are exposing the existing flaws in food systems, many of which stem from gender inequalities and the unfair treatment of women and girls. Rising hunger and food shortages are also putting additional burdens on women, from mental health risks to gender-based violence. This report, based on a CARE analysis of 73 global reports proposing solutions to the hunger pandemic, shows that responses to COVID-19 and related hunger crises are either ignoring women and girls or treating them as victims who have no role in addressing the problems they face.

Families who participated in the Nampula Adaptation to Climate Change project in northern Mozambique were able to grow more food, better respond to crises, and save more money. Adopting many climate change conscious practices in their fields helped them achieve this. One of the things families invested in when they got more savings and credit was their children’s education. Here is more about what the project achieved.

In the West Bank and Gaza, CARE helped farmers raise milk production by 10% and reduced the cost of water by 80%. To achieve this it wasn’t enough to look at just a farmer’s skills or livestock techniques. We had to look at the whole market system and use rigorous research to guide the programmes. In the West Bank and Gaza, although the market system faces threats every day, it’s still the best bet for sustainable change. Here is what we achieved and how we did it.

2017 has no question been a year of harrowing humanitarian crises, a deadly year of natural disasters. According to the UN, never in our lifetimes have so many people been in need of humanitarian assistance as in 2017. What might surprise you is that many of the millions of people in need do not live in any of those places you have seen on TV. They live in Chad, Burundi, in the Central African Republic or the Democratic Republic of Congo...

Having finished up a week of intense discussions on cash programming in Geneva earlier this month, I have to say that even I, a cash advisor who is avidly passionate about cash-based programming, am all “cashed out!” However, there is one major takeaway from the Global Cash Forum that I can’t help thinking about. I was struck by how much the discussion about how best to deliver cash at scale efficiently and effectively dominated the whole day – and for good reason.

Based on the experience of delivering the first large-scale humanitarian cash programme in Zimbabwe, this briefing paper argues that even during a liquidity crisis, cash transfer programming can still be a feasible option, giving people greater freedom and dignity of choice during times of crisis.

This case study of the first large-scale humanitarian cash programme in Zimbabwe presents learning and recommendations on how to design and adapt cash transfer programmes to mitigate the risk of a cash liquidity crisis.