Food Security

A cow, part of the Livestock Distribution Program in the Philippines © Steve Daughtry/ABM 2007

As the world’s largest importer of rice, the food crisis in the early part of 2008 wrought havoc in the Philippines. Eighty percent of the country’s population spends 24 percent of their income on rice (BBC:2008). As these people are engaged in some form of subsistence agriculture the lack of investment in this sector has driven them even further into poverty. Their situation is further exacerbated by the lack of vital infrastructure (such as roads, water and irrigation systems, and post-harvest facilities) and social services (such as health and education).

Rural communities struggling to cope need other livelihood activities to compensate for their meagre yields from farming. ABM wants to provide resources that will allow these communities to diversify their produce, consequently improving farm incomes and reducing poverty in rural areas. Expanding the food security project will provide equipment, fertiliser and other provisions. This puts more food on the table and increases household incomes so that families can cover other basic needs such as health and education.

ABM is supporting this program in the Philippines through a number of activities:

Agricultural Inputs ($60,000)

Providing farm equipment, fertiliser, fuel and other rural provisions to people in need is ABM’s way of addressing poor farmers’ need to improve their lives. Small rice and corn mills, threshers, shellers, drying pavement and grains storage are some of the most needed facilities. Without these, farmers lose stock to spoilage and wastage and shoulder the high cost of renting equipment.
Irrigation facilities allow farmers to plant for more than one crop per year, as water becomes available for crops during dry months. Seed supplies and guidance preparing organic fertiliser also improves crop yields and therefore the lot of subsistence farmers.

Donate Now to this project by selecting Agricultural Inputs in Philippines from the full project list.

Livestock Distribution ($40,000)

ABM’s livestock distribution program aims to provide rural households with at least one pig, cow, goat or chicken. Raising livestock can be an alternative source of income for poor families.

Donate Now to this project by selecting Livestock Distribution in Philippines from the full project list.

Food Processing ($25,000)

When the harvests are plentiful, farmers often don’t preserve or store produce because they lack the know-how or the technology. New methods can greatly benefit farmers who sell their products for income or provide for their families when they can’t afford food. This year ABM is supporting programs that teach fruit and vegetable processing and packaging. With the help of ECP’s development workers, ABM adapts our activities to the local environment.

Donate Now to this project by selecting Food Processing in Philippines from the full project list.

Small-scale Fishing Activities ($25,000)

In Mindanao, this program aims to help disadvantaged families in a coastal community develop viable incomes by providing fishing equipment as well as build a facility to process fish sauce. Training is part of the program that bonds the community together while they learn the skills they need to make this program a success.

Donate Now to this project by selecting Small-scale Fishing Activities in Philippines from the full project list.

Here are some of the ways your gift may be used:

  • $6.50 pays for a bag of cement; 600 bags are needed to construct a drying pavement
  • $46 buys a piglet
  • $285 runs a community workshop teaching livestock rearing
  • $1,771 buys one sugarcane presser

This project needs $150,000 in total in 2009.
Donations to this program are tax deductible.

You can Donate Now to this project by selecting Food Security Program in the Philiippines from the full project list.

Project information can be downloaded here.