In a world where there is enough food for everyone, overcoming hunger still remains one of the biggest challenges.

Not having enough food keeps people from experiencing a healthy, productive life. Millions of children under five die each year because of malnutrition. Inefficient farming practices and a changing climate mean food supplies are irregular. Poor families often lack the variety of nutrients they need for healthy development. And poor communities facing natural disasters including droughts and floods need emergency support to prevent malnutrition.

Women face many inequalities that make them particularly vulnerable to hunger. When food is scarce, they often eat less to give the rest of the family more food, even when they are pregnant and breastfeeding. Women also often miss out on agricultural training even though they are involved in food production.

Fast Facts 

• Around 795 million people do not have enough to eat to lead healthy active lives – that’s about 1 in 9 people
• Malnutrition is the underlying cause of death for at least 2.7 million children under five every year
• Almost all the hungry people live in developing countries – 13% of the population of developing counties are going hungry
• In the poorest countries, people spend up to 80% of their income on food
• If women farmers had the same access to resources as men, the number of hungry people in the world could be reduced by up to 150 million

Examples of our work to end hunger

• The Growing is Learning project – food Security in Tanzania
• Boosting Coffee Production – supporting coffee farmers to increase their income
• TEAL Coffee Project – Techniques to Enhance Agricultural Livelihoods in Vietnam
• The WE-RISE project – resilience and food security in Tanzania, Malawi and Ethiopia

How is CARE helping end hunger?

CARE is working to overcome hunger and improve nutrition for all by:

Improving farming practices

We are helping farming communities increase their yields by training farmers and providing seeds and tools to both women and men. In Malawi, Ethiopia, and Tanzania, farmer-to-farmer training are helping families learn better crop management skills and farming techniques such as diversification.

Helping adaptation to new climates

We are helping communities adapt to climate change by training them about crop diversification, providing better seeds, and improving techniques to manage water effectively. Read more about our work in Papua New Guinea and Mozambique.

Linking farmers to markets

We are linking men and women to markets so they can earn an income and improve the amount and quality of food they can eat and provide for their families. Read more about the market linkages we are creating for farmers in the West Bank.

Providing lifesaving support in emergencies

When humanitarian or natural disasters strike, we make sure families have enough to eat. We distribute emergency food and we monitor and support children who have become malnourished and are struggling to survive. In the aftermath of disasters we help communities get back on their feet. We helped farmers in Nepal after the 2015 earthquake.