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Food Security & Livelihoods

Action Against Hunger’s food security and livelihoods programs tackle the root causes of hunger: problems of production, access, and income.
Credit: Marie-Sophie Whitney
Credit: Marie-Sophie Whitney

Encompassing a wide array of activities customized to meet a community’s specific needs, our programs are designed to bolster agricultural production, jumpstart local market activity, support micro-enterprise initiatives, and otherwise enhance a vulnerable community’s access to sustainable sources of food and income.

What We Do

Evaluate Local Needs

To determine what’s causing hunger in a given area, Action Against Hunger carries out comprehensive evaluations by collecting and analyzing key data on local assets, resources, and livelihoods strategies. Our teams meet directly with community members to better understand local conditions and create a collaborative plan of action.

Respond to Emergencies

When disasters destroy infrastructure and food supplies, when violence forces thousands to flee, or when drought disrupts food production, Action Against Hunger responds with distributions of food, cash, and other items to prevent hunger in the short-term and ensure that crops can be replanted and livestock restocked in the future.

Provide Long-Term Solutions

Designed in collaboration with local populations, our strategies are context-specific: micro-grant support for families recovering from conflict; seeds and tools for agricultural recovery; livestock and veterinary services where needed; small business assistance; and other programs that help families regain self-sufficiency.

Recent Food Security News

Zainab feeds her 3-year-old grandson vegetables from their home garden. Photo: ACF-Afghanistan
May 10, 2013
Action Against Hunger loves moms. Our expert field staff understands that a mother’s health and well-being can affect the health of her children, and even her whole community. That’s why so many of our programs focus on treating, educating, and empowering mothers, so they can become healthy themselves and help their families thrive. In honor of Mother’s Day, we are sharing the story of two moms who benefitted from our efforts in Afghanistan....  Read
Women in CAR
April 17, 2013
After a coup last month, the Central African Republic is still experiencing violence, and food prices, which are typically unstable, have been made more volatile by recent events. The recent upheaval has not helped the high rates of malnutrition and food insecurity typically found in the Central African Republic....  Read

A community volunteer in Thatta District, Pakistan works in the fields. Photo: ACF-Pakistan, L. Tomassini

April 5, 2013
At Action Against Hunger, we help people who face extreme hardships every day to survive. Many lack access to basic necessities like food and water; others are struggling to rebuild after a disaster. On top of these difficulties, some people we serve also have physical limitations that make their situations even more challenging....  Read

Women repairing homes. Photo: ACF-Pakistan, J. Friedman

March 7, 2013
Today is International Women’s Day—a day to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of women around the world....  Read