Footsteps 32

FOOD SECURITY

Food security is an issue often discussed at government level or at numerous international conferences. However, we believe food security is most likely to be achieved when food is locally produced, processed, stored and distributed. There are many other topics we could have included but hope we have provided enough useful ideas to start you thinking. We would encourage you to follow the ideas shared by Pukuta Mwanza and set up discussion groups or workshops in your village or urban community to discuss local food security issues.

Please find below articles from Footsteps issue 32 in html.

To download a pdf version of Footsteps issue 32 click here (784K).

An improved granary design An improved granary design Simple improvements to traditional granaries may reduce the loss of grains to pests and diseases without requiring financial outlay. TRADITIONAL GRANARY A workshop was held in Mundri, Sudan to look at grain storage. ... More >>

Bible study Enough is as good as a feast by Stan Crees God's word has much to teach us about food, its provision, storage, benefits and our responsibility to share it. Read Psalm 65. This provides a clear example of God’s generous nature. Here God is seen to bl... More >>

Community Grain Banks by Pasteur Samuel Yameogo. Burkina Faso is a land-locked country in West Africa with only one short rainy season. There are often severe food shortages in the drier northern areas. Since the 1980s when there were several years of famine, community g... More >>

Coping with drought by Pukuta N Mwanza. Luangwa and Gwembe are two regions of Zambia which have been severely affected by five years of continuous drought. These droughts have left farmers poorer than before because they have been forced to sell their assets – livestoc... More >>

Editorial Plans for this issue began with the theme ‘storing the harvest’. But then we felt it important to widen this subject to that of food security which raises many more issues. A useful definition of food security comes from von Braun (1992): ‘Access by ... More >>

Fermentation by Dr Ann Ashworth. The benefits of fermentation have been recognised from the earliest times. There are records of fermented foods being used by the Sumerians, ancient Egyptians, Babylonians and Assyrians. Chinese descriptions of miso from soy sauc... More >>

Food storage and preservation There are many different blocks which may prevent the storing and preserving of food. Selling food Farmers may sell much or all of the food they produce immediately because: They may need money urgently – for example, for school fees, taxes, repa... More >>

Grain storage 30% of fruit and vegetables are wasted due to the unavailability of proper processing and preserving. Here are some practical ideas from different sources. Is the seed dry enough? Grains to be stored must be completely dry. Farmers can check this b... More >>

How to make jam… All kinds of soft fruit can be used to make jam. If possible, use a book of jam recipes which will tell you exactly how much fruit, sugar and water to use for each different fruit. However, if you cannot find such recipes, here are the general princi... More >>

Ideas for health training I'd like to share some training activities which I have developed with the help of village people to encourage discussion on health and nutrition. 'BAGS OF HAPPINESS' Choose just one ‘bag of happiness’ (see above). Then give a reason for your ch... More >>

Letters Urban agriculture Market gardeners in the Boma area of lower Zaire are not economically strong. We used the INADES lessons as a group and realise that we need to market ourselves more positively to improve our situation. We need to improve our produ... More >>

Moulds for ferro-cement tanks Greetings from the Kingdom of Swaziland. I’d like to share a few comments on the ferro-cement tank in Footsteps 30. Since 1994 I have been involved with a tank-building programme with local churches and several hundred have been constructed, both in ... More >>

Promoting local conservation by Miges Baumann. Anibal and Orelina Correo live in the village of Boliche in Simiatug, Ecuador. They tell their story of their use of new potato varieties developed at the National Institute for Agricultural Research… New methods ‘The agronomists... More >>

Resources Henry Doubleday Research Association Tree Selection and Advisory Service This group provides information, advice and – where available – tree and shrub seeds to NGOs, self-help groups, farmers, schools and other organisations involved in forestry an... More >>

Rural women and food insecurity by Drs Neela and Amitava Mukherjee. For the 350 million people in India who live below the poverty line, food security is literally a matter of life and death. Agriculture supports nearly 70% of the population in India, most of whom own less than 2 ... More >>

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