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FALL 2022
By Guy Smagghe, PWS&D Director
In John 21:17, Jesus instructed Peter to “feed my sheep”—the last words that Jesus spoke to the apostles after his resurrection. While these words are generally interpreted as an encouragement to provide spiritual nourishment, it is hard not to think that people need first to have the necessary physical nourishment to allow for spiritual development. Jesus al- ways wanted his followers to be well-fed. Remember the loaves and fishes episode?
Food ministry is central to many in the church, ensuring that those who have very scarce resources still have access to the food they need. At Presbyterian World Service & Development, food security has been a central theme of our work for many dec- ades, and our membership in Ca- nadian Foodgrains Bank contin- ues to give us the opportunity to multiply our reach and to provide emergency and sustainable ac- cess to food where most needed.
As we enter the fall months, we prepare for World Food Day (October 16)—a day intended to increase awareness of world hun- ger and to inspire solutions for change. According to the latest
reports from the United Nations, in 2021 there were 150 million more people facing hunger com- pared to two years earlier.
The climate emergency alone is creating challenging conditions for farmers in so many places. Higher temperatures, unpredict- able rains, droughts and floods make farming even more difficult and lead to crop failures. The situ- ation was already dire during the beginning of the pandemic as re- stricted movement and disrupted supply chains created new chal- lenges to the agricultural sector everywhere.
Then came the invasion of Ukraine and the resulting food scarcity in so many low-income countries that depend on Rus- sia and Ukraine for wheat. Food prices have skyrocketed, making it very difficult for people with low incomes to afford even the most basic food items. It is es- timated that the war in Ukraine has caused an additional 13 mil- lion people to suffer from hunger. While food prices have gone up here in Canada, think of Ethiopia where the cost of a food basket to feed a family rose by 64% between 2019 and March 2022, according to Carol Thiessen at Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
With higher food prices every- where, our capacity to respond to hunger needs has decreased. The same amount of money can no longer feed as many people, which means we need to increase budgets simply to maintain cur- rent levels of assistance, not even to increase it.
We are so grateful for our mem- bership in Canadian Foodgrains Bank and for the collaboration with the Canadian government that multiplies our funds and helps us reach out to as many people as possible. PWS&D is currently leading a food assis- tance project in Pakistan. In Sindh province, close to the desert, we are helping people get through another season of crop failures due to persistent droughts.
The Humanitarian Coalition’s appeal to raise money for those experiencing hunger provided an additional opportunity to access matching funds from the Cana- dian government and generate re- sources to respond to places that are neglected.
While the need in Ukraine is ob- viously great, the current spotlight on the war-ravaged country has pushed many other dire situations off the radar. The neglected emer- gencies in Yemen and the Horn
In Sindh province, Pakistan, PWS&D is leading a food assistance project to ensure people have food to eat in the face of persistent drought.
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PRESBYTERIAN WORLD SERVICE & DEVELOPMENT
$700,000 for Ukraine, and Worsening World Hunger
of Africa are of great concern to us. While we are so grateful for the generosity that has enabled PWS&D to raise over $700,000 to respond to the Ukraine crisis, our hunger crisis appeal generated just under $55,000 for all other international crises. This high- lights how much more difficult it is to raise funds for situations that are not making the news.
“Feed my sheep,” said Jesus, and this is the challenge in front of us. We can each play an impor- tant part. Your continued support to PWS&D will help us to sustain assistance in places that are not in the spotlight, but where needs are also great. Thank you.
To support ongoing hunger needs around the world, visit WeRespond.ca/hunger-crisis.
Families who were forced to leave their homes due to ongoing drought in Somalia struggle to make ends meet in temporary camps for internally dis- placed people. PHOTO BY: MOHAMED ABDIHAKIM/ACT ALLIANCE
Chasing Away Hunger in Haiti
Emmanuel Joseph has access to food year-round after applying conservation agriculture techniques to his farm in Haiti.
reduced yield creates a cycle of food insecurity for farmers—with recent higher costs of seeds and fertilizer making the problem even worse.
PWS&D is responding by sup- portingfarmersandtheirfamilies. From training farmers on how to increase crop yields to how to best care for their land, PWS&D’s work in agriculture and sustainable livelihoods is equipping people to grow crops that can stand up to unpredictable climate conditions.
Emmanuel Joseph is a farmer in Haiti. At 62 years of age, he has experienced changes to his land for decades. When Emmanuel joined a farmer’s collective sup- ported by PWS&D in 2013, he began to learn conservation agri- culture practices like rotating his crops and composting. Now, his garden produces more and better food year-round, and his wife is
consistently able to bring produce to the market to sell.
PWS&D’s work also supports farmers by bringing them together to learn from each other’s experi- ences and pool their earnings for better credit. Training sessions focused on nutrition help families learn to maximize the nutrients they get from the food that is available.
For Wilner Nezil, this made a big difference. Together with other farmers, he learned how to better maintain the health of his soil; and he planted a line of moringa trees that protect his more vul- nerable plants from the blowing wind. The yield from his garden now includes corn, peas, yams, taro, squash, okra and spinach, which allow Wilner and his family of six to have a variety of nutri- tious meals.
Projects focusing on food secu-
Wilner Nezil’s family of six now has regular access to nutritious food be- cause of what he learned through a PWS&D-supported project.
rity benefit farmers and their loved ones by providing education and resources to help achieve better results, both now and for the fu- ture. “I thank God,” Wilner said, “my life has improved thanks to all of the group’s activities. Thank you for providing training that will help me chase away hunger.”
By Emma Clarke, PWS&D Communications
Two out of three people who are experiencing acute food inse- curity—an inability to consume adequate food, which puts their life at immediate risk—are rural food producers, according to the
United Nations.
For decades, small-scale farm-
ers throughout the world have directly experienced the effects of climate change. Long droughts have prevented their crops from growing. When rain comes, floods have often washed away their seeds and soil. Tragically,