Food security

Food security means more than simply having enough to eat. It means helping communities have access to a wide range of nutritious foods all year round, sufficient to enable them to have at least two meals per day for all members of the household. This is preferably managed via training in establishing their own food gardens on land they own or have access to, being able to harvest and store the produce for later consumption and saving seeds for the next year’s crop. It also means being equipped to mitigate the impacts of climate change on their agricultural pursuits, and being aware of local markets and market prices to sell off produce which is surplus to their current needs.

Some of QSA’s projects, funded in part by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade are addressing food security. In Cambodia projects with the Department of Women’s Affairs provincial offices in Kampong Thom and Pursat, and Khmer Community Development are providing training in permaculture techniques to assist with food security. In Uganda, the project partners of St Jude Family Projects, Eco-Agric and KYASPED are all addressing food security using organic farming techniques. All of this assists communities progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Number 2 – ‘End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture’.