In Ashaiman, Accra, Ghana, Abubakari Barikisu, a teacher at the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama’ah Center, shares watermelon with the students. The watermelon and other food is provided by Food For All Africa . (Photo: GFN/Julius Ogundiran)
Conflict, climate shocks, and COVID-19 have driven up the costs of food, fuel, and other critical inputs, contributing to a rise in food insecurity. Today, millions of families are struggling to put food on the table as affordable diets are increasingly inaccessible due to factors beyond their control.
At the same time, nearly one-third of all food produced for human consumption, or approximately 1.3 billion tons of food, is lost or wasted annually. Food loss and waste contributes to climate change and resource depletion while reducing food availability.
In this context, food banks are needed now more than ever. But while food banks are seeing a sustained increase in demand for their services, they’re also seeing fewer opportunities to recover food. Despite this challenge, 49 GFN member food banks distributed 651 million kilograms of food to 32 million people in 2022.
Food banks do so much already — but they can do even more, with the right support. The Global FoodBanking Network, with financial support from The Rockefeller Foundation, is working with food banks to find innovative ways to get more nutritious food to more people while mitigating the impacts of climate change. For many food banks, that means building partnerships with small- and large-scale farmers — often called agricultural recovery programs — to collect surplus produce that would otherwise go to waste and instead distribute it to people facing hunger.
Read on to learn more about how food banks in Africa, Asia, and Latin America are stepping up to serve their communities when they are needed most.
“Since we received the funding, it ignited a light for us,” said Elijah Amoo Addo, founder and executive director of Food All Africa. “We’ve been able to provide a more nutritious, health-focused support system to those we serve. And it also helps reduce food loss and waste. Above all, it helps us support malnourished families and children.”
Funding from The Rockefeller Foundation led to the rapid acceleration of Food All Africa’s agricultural recovery efforts.
For example, the grant allowed the food bank to build a new warehouse, doubling dried goods storage capacity and increasing fresh produce storage by more than 10 times. That means more fruits and vegetables for groups like the Ansaar Foundation School, which enrolls students ages 1 to 14 in one of Greater Accra’s lowest-income urban areas.
In Abeookuta, Ogun, Nigeria, Sunday, the farm manager at Fenpanath's citrus farm, collects surplus produce that will be donated to Lagos Food Bank Initiative.. (Photo: GFN/Julius Ogundiran)
In Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Ricardo Bulnes, owner of Pilones y Flores farm, poses in front of his vegetable farm. (Photo: GFN/Tomas Ayuso)
In Guatemala City, Guatemala. Ruth Lopez and her daughter wait their turn to receive a food package provided by Desarrollo en Movimiento food bank. (Photo: GFN/Tomas Ayuso)
Farmers aren’t always able to sell all of their produce, for a variety of reasons—the size and shape of the produce might not be marketable, the cost of transportation might be too high, the buyers’ prices might be too low. And so perfectly fresh produce goes to waste.
Food banks in countries like Kenya and the Philippines are helping farmers make sure their surplus produce isn’t wasted but instead feeds people facing hunger. And at the same time, food banks make sure the farmers are compensated with shelf-stable foods, toiletries, and other items.
To learn more, watch the videos to the left and read more about the work of Food Banking Kenya e Levante-se contra a fome nas Filipinas.
