Urge the government to support sustainable food systems

Aiysha (in the picture) from Bangladesh grows her own food. She used to work as a day labourer earning barely enough to support her husband and son.

Then Aiysha joined a CAFOD-supported project and learned about a sustainable way of growing food that works with nature, not against it. Agroecology doesn’t rely heavily on single crops, as industrial agriculture does, nor on chemicals that make farmers sick. Instead, farmers use their local knowledge to grow food that fits their specific climate, soil and culture. It’s worked very well for Aiysha, who has almost doubled her income and is proof of what women farmers can achieve.

In this era of aid cuts, agriculture methods such as agroecology are low-cost and can be a vital step towards global food security.

By re-focusing funding from its aid budget to locally-led agroecology projects, the UK could play a key role in supporting ways of producing food that are more resilient to the changing weather patterns and don't harm the planet.

Will you send a message to the Minister of International Development, Baroness Chapman, to ensure that the UK supports climate-resilient ways of growing food, and helps more farmers like Aiysha?

Email the Minister for International Development

Baroness

Jennifer

Chapman

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Dear Baroness Chapman,

As a CAFOD supporter, I am writing to urge you to refocus funding from the UK international aid budget. By shifting some of the aid funding away from industrial agriculture to locally-led agroecology programmes, UK aid can help build much more effective and climate-resilient food systems.

With over 2.3 billion people globally suffering from food insecurity, the need for food system transformation is imperative.

At a time when the UK government has taken the decision to cut its already reduced aid budget, prioritising low-cost and sustainable ways of growing food such as agroecology is a vital step towards global food security.

As the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation points out: “Agroecological approaches support food producers in reducing production costs, translating into greater income, economic stability and resilience.”

Additionally, agroecology has proved to be significantly beneficial for women farmers by acknowledging their contribution to local economies and prioritising training and financial opportunities for them.

The UK could play a leading role in championing this innovative approach at a time when transforming our food system is more urgent than ever.

I hope that my call for urgent action is heard and thank you for taking the time to read this message.

Yours faithfully,

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