Agriculture & Food
-
Photo: Erin Gray/Mercy Corps
Most of the world doesn't have the benefit of picking up food from the corner store — they grow it themselves. A family's plot of land has to provide for their nutritional and economic needs.
When food shortages occur due to drought and conflict, Mercy Corps helps prevent hunger and treat malnutrition in the most vulnerable — children, pregnant women, the elderly and the displaced.
Distributing food is necessary in times of crisis, and we always try to procure food from local suppliers to save money, ensure faster delivery and support of the local economy. Learn more about the success of this model in Niger (PDF) ▸
In addition to emergency responses, we quickly focus on long-term solutions that strengthen harvests and livestock for the long-term. Mercy Corps works with families to ensure quality inputs, smart land use, good crop yields and a fair price at local markets.
All stories about Agriculture & Food
-
Sri Lanka: Rice and Recovery March 23, 2009
Mercy Corps continues to help Sri Lanka "build back better" from the tsunami, and focus on the country's culinary staple — rice — as a way to lift farmers' incomes and protect families against global price shocks.
-
Afghanistan: The Fruits of a New Beginning March 6, 2009
The roads leading outside of Takhar are lined with 10-foot-tall walls, a long line of mud and rock that stretches on for at least five miles.
-
Afghanistan: Nurturing New Growth March 6, 2009
-
Nepal: Nourishing Opportunity February 24, 2009
-
Sri Lanka: Resilience and resourcefulness February 19, 2009
Thatcher asked me on our way to the Colombo airport if I had a favorite story from our now-completed travels. I couldn't come up with one; each made its own distinct impression. But in going over all the stories we'd heard, two qualities stood out: resilience and resourcefulness.
-
Sri Lanka: The SRI in Sri Lanka February 14, 2009
At about 10 a.m. this morning I was treading carefully through a rice paddy under an already-blazing sun, trying to keep my balance on the beam of dry earth that kept me six inches safely above the mud.
-
Sri Lanka: From Crisis, Opportunity February 10, 2009
-
Central African Republic: How farmers can keep their kids in school January 27, 2009
A better harvest leads to a better education for the next generation.
-
Afghanistan: Running Water Uphill January 23, 2009
Following Agha Mohammad up the steep slope behind his family farm is not an easy task. While the lean 25-year-old glided up the well-worn path, his hands locked calmly behind his back, I had to stop at least twice to catch my breath.
-
Kyrgyzstan: Apple Festival Unites Villages of Southern Issyk-Kul January 21, 2009
On October 10, 2008, the Association of Orchardists and the Gardens and Plastics (GAP) project held the Third Annual Apple Festival in the village of Kyzyl-Tuu on the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyz Republic