Food and agriculture

Media contact Geraldine Ryerson-Cruz 202.572.6302 (o) 202.615.2608(c)

Latest news 07/28/2008 Statement on World Vision food aid in Haiti 05/02/2008 Aid agency welcomes proposal boosting U.S. food aid 04/30/2008 Middle East food crisis escalates; children at greatest risk

Press resources

The need

Severe food shortages result from factors that often compound each other: Poor farming techniques Low soil fertility Poor access to quality seeds Poor control of crop pests Environmental degradation Drought and other natural disasters Unless communities can establish secure sources of food to meet their nutritional needs, they have little hope of offering their children a healthy future.

Nutritious food is a critical building block for children’s growth and development.

	Fast facts
	Some 854 million people worldwide lack enough to eat; 820 million of them are in developing countries. Source: FAO State of Food Insecurity in the World, 2006 A combination of natural disasters, drought, war, poverty, lack of agricultural infrastructure or policies and over-exploitation of the environment are chief causes of food shortages. Source:World Food Programme, 2007 An estimated 2.1 billion people in the world live on less than $2 per day, and 880 million people live on less than $1 per day. Source: World Bank World Development Report, 2008 More fast facts ...

World Vision’s response

Feeding centers—Following a humanitarian crisis, World Vision establishes emergency feeding clinics and often provides supplemental food until the situation has stabilized.

Agricultural assistance—World Vision provides farmers with seeds and tools for raising crops and livestock.

Agricultural training—We teach farmers improved agricultural techniques such as crop rotation, drip irrigation, conservation farming and the planting of nitrogen-fixing trees that enrich depleted soil.

Nutrition education—World Vision trains parents in the importance of feeding their children foods that contain essential nutrients such as vitamins A and C.

Improving product storage—World Vision helps communities protect their available food resources with better storage techniques. In Mali, for example, we built granaries that decreased the annual food storage loss from 30 percent to 3 percent.

Marketing assistance—By identifying and providing resources for marketable products, World Vision helps farmers earn a stable income for their families. For example, we helped Brazilian farmers cultivate and market a crop of organic peppers after local environmental changes made it impossible to grow their previous crops.

Natural resource management—World Vision emphasizes the value of caring for natural resources. Farmers are taught to protect their greatest asset—their land—by preventing soil degradation, increasing sustainability, and enhancing productivity.

Who Is World Vision?

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.

Steve Panton Executive Director Media Relations 202.492.6556 (c) Rachel Wolff Disaster Response See all contacts 253.815.2072 (o) 253.394.2214 (c) Cynthia Colin International Affairs See all contacts 202.572.6595 (o) 202.436.1266 (c) John Yeager Domestic Campaigns Regional Events See all contacts 253.815.2356 (o) 425.765.9845 (c) Karen Kartes Corporate Partnerships Celebrity Engagement See all contacts 253.815.2163 (o) 206.351.4315 (c) Dean Owen Executive Affairs "Experience: AIDS" Tour See all contacts 253.815.2103 (o) 253.906.8645 (c)