WINNIPEG – Two-thirds of the hungry people on this planet are farmers, says the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
Those 600 million people live in developing countries and receive little help from their governments. Because these subsistence farmers tend to be women with children, they are also subject to discrimination by lenders and land ownership laws.
Harold Penner, the foodgrains bank Manitoba co-ordinator, told a meeting of the Associated Country Women of the World in Winnipeg Sept. 18 that although the need is greatest in Africa, hunger also persists in parts of Asia and Latin America.
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In the 25 years the bank has been in existence, it has helped in 80 countries.
The bank’s 15 members are churches and they encourage farmers and communities in Canada to donate grain or money to help the poor in the Third World. A matching donation from the federal government has given the bank $25 million this year to feed the hungry.
Penner said there is enough food in the world to feed everyone, but distribution problems and recent high food costs mean the poor are usually hungry. He said it costs $65 to feed a family of five for one month.
High transportation costs and a change in philosophy have led the bank to try buying food in the country or region where help is needed rather than shipping wheat to people who usually eat rice or corn.
Penner said the federal government eased restrictions this spring that forced the bank to buy Canadian food. Food aid is now shipped overseas only if the region doesn’t have supplies.
“Our only rule is we won’t source food from the U.S. because it is the only country left in the world with a tied-aid policy.”
Penner said the bank has been working with schools to teach students about hunger.
For example, Grade 4 students in Rivers, Man., learn in class about hunger and are set a task to raise money. When they drop off their donations, they are taken to the local growing project for the “best field trip of the year,” including combine rides.
Penner said the high school in Swan River, Man., combines a fun challenge with a fundraiser in which small bags of wheat are sold for $2 each. At Halloween, the students parade through town to the elevator to dump their wheat in a symbolic gift. Last year, the kids pulled an empty semi truck to the elevator.
