“Sharing is part of my faith. Sharing takes us through ... for thou… · through hard times. ... boundaries, it’s hard to know the real impact that global companies have on workers,

Tuck in to the facts behind CAFOD’s food campaign, chew over some myths about food and hunger and work up an appetite for a fair food system.

“Sharing�is�part�of�my�faith.�Sharing�takes�us�

through�hard�times.”Emily Mbithuka, Kenya

How does our food reach our plates? Who grows it? Transports it? Sells it? Regulates it? All these activities

– and more – are what make up a food system.

The food system is about food – but it is just as much about politics, economics, social justice and the environment.

Food can be sold, bought and eaten all within a few miles of where it’s grown, through local markets and traders. Or it can travel thousands of miles and pass through many different processes.

A�few�hundred�companies��control�70�per�cent�of�the�global�

food�market,�including�access�to�vital�resources�like�land,�seeds�and�water.

Agricultural�aid�to�developing�countries�was�cut�by�77�per�cent�between�1983�and�2006.�It’s�

increased�since,�but�is�nowhere�near�previous�levels.

How does our food reach our plates? Who grows it? Transports it? Sells it? Regulates it? All these activities

– and more – are what make up a food system.

But global or local, what matters most is who has the power. Within any food system, the powerful often reap the benefits while those with less power bear the risks.

Read on – and follow the humble green bean through the global food system.

1. PRODUCTION

REGULATION

FINANCE

2. PROCESSINGWhat it is: Growing and harvesting edible plants and raising animals.

What it is: Raw or fresh food is transformed into finished products ready to eat; for example freezing and packaging vegetables.

Did you know? Women grow 80 per cent of staple food in Africa, but own only one per cent of land and receive one per cent of credit available to farmers.

Did you know? Small-scale farmers feed

80 per cent of Africa’s population, yet they account for over half

the world’s hungry people – unable to

grow or earn enough to meet their own needs.

Did you know? The major players in the food system are large multinational companies involved in manufacturing, processing, distribution and retail. A small number of these companies control global agribusiness.

UN Environment Programme

Who does it: Small-scale farmers, large agribusinesses and companies who grow food, rear livestock or catch fish.

Who does it: Professionals or businesses take food from its raw state and cook, prepare or package it.

What it is: Local, regional, national and international policies and regulations shape how different players interact with each other and the system as a whole. These regulations govern food quality, food safety, subsidies, exporting and importing food and industry lobbying.

Who does it: Local, regional and national governments, international institutions, industry lobbyists and campaigners seeking to influence legislation.

Who does it: Banks, investment funds and private investors.

What it is: Finance always plays an important, if indirect, role. Farmers need access to credit and savings, as well as support like insurance policies and contracts which protect prices for their crops. In recent years, trade in derivatives relating to food (trading in contracts and betting on prices) has also contributed to de-stabilising food prices.

3. DISTRIBUTION 4. RETAILWhat it is: Checking and pricing food and then selling or purchasing it.

What it is: How food is transported, stored, and marketed on its way from grower to buyer.

Did you know? Across the world, the price of basic food is expected

to double by 2030.

Did you know? Supermarkets account for 97 per cent of total grocery sales in the UK, and 76 per cent of groceries are sold by the four biggest retailers.

Who does it: Supermarkets are the most dominant and powerful retailers in the food system. In towns and rural areas, in both developed and developing countries, people also sell through local shops and markets.

Who does it: Small scale traders, multi-national food distributors and grocery stores. Logistics, shipping, warehousing and storage companies, as well as marketing and advertising companies.




Did you know? Over one million people

in Africa earn their living producing

fruit and vegetables for the UK. This

injects around £200 million into

their economies each year.


5. CONSUMPTION 6. WASTE MANAGEMENT AND RESOURCE RECOVERYWhat it is: Cooking, preparing,

and eating food.What it is: All the ways unwanted food is collected, sorted, and processed.

Did you know? Approximately one third of food produced for human consumption is wasted annually around the world.

Who does it: Everyone, everywhere!

Source: Oakland Food Policy Council, 2009.

Who does it: Local governments, private waste removal companies, informal waste removers or cardboard collectors, recycling companies and processors.




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you k

now? In

developing cou

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s,

pe

ople

spen

d up to 70 per c

ent o

f the

ir

inco

me o

n food, compared to

aro

und

te

n pe

r c

ent in

the UK.

Did

you

kn

ow?

In E

ngla

nd a

nd W

ales

,

we

thro

w a

way

3.6

mill

ion

tons

of

food

a y

ear,

the

equi

vale

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f 200

,000

fu

ll Lo

ndon

bus

es.

We live in a world where almost a billon people worldwide go

hungry, equivalent to the entire population of the US, Canada

and the EU. Yet we produce enough food for everyone.

“�Famine�isn’t�an�extreme�event,�it’s�the�predictable�result�of�a�

broken�system.”��Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food


ARE YOU HUNGRY FOR CHANGE?

The way that food is grown, sold and shared out – whether through local or global food systems – isn’t working for millions of people. There are many reasons why one in seven people go hungry. Our campaign highlights some of the ingredients of the global food crisis.

Think of hunger – and you may think of Live Aid-style images of starving children in refugee camps, surviving on food aid. But for many families, lack of food is an everyday reality. There are lots of reasons why they go hungry – but underpinning them all is poverty and a lack of power. Having nothing to fall back on means the poorest people are more vulnerable to sudden disasters and to ongoing problems like climate change or conflict, tipping them over the edge. This silent crisis rarely hits the headlines. Whilst emergency aid is an important and often life-saving stop-gap, if we want to bring an end to global hunger, we need to change the way the system works. Empowering aid, that supports small-scale farmers to lift themselves out of poverty, is a step in the right direction.

Did you know? Small-scale farmers grow 50 per cent of the world’s food. But they face an increasing number of challenges – including lack of access to markets and to resources like land, water and energy.

MYTH: Sudden disasters, like droughts or wars, are the reason why people go hungry.

REALITY: Over 90 per cent of hungry people simply can’t grow or buy enough food to eat, day in, day out.

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“�It�is�time�to�look�at�poor�smallholder�farmers�and�rural�entrepreneurs�in�a�completely�new�way�–�not�as�charity�cases�but�as�people�whose�innovation,�dynamism�and�hard�work�will�bring�prosperity�to�their�communities�and�greater�food�security�to�the�world.” International Fund for Agricultural Development

CASE STUDY

“It’s like we’re being cheated”

Getting a good market for her crops is a struggle for Emily Mbithuka in Kenya. The amount she produces is too small for larger traders to bother to travel the bumpy roads to her farm. So she sells to shop-keepers who then sell her produce on at triple the price. “It’s difficult because they have control over the prices,” she says. “We don’t have an option of where to take our produce. It’s like we’re being cheated. It would be good to get people to come here to our farm.” Local and regional markets are packed with potential. Here, small farmers can bargain with customers to get a good price for their crops, whilst consumers can get local, affordable food. Everyone wins. But lack of infrastructure, like roads, or lack of information about demand and prices, means that they often fail the people who need them most.

CASE STUDY

“Our rights are violated”

Across Latin America, in vast areas of land that were once forest, soya and sugar cane are being planted for export or for bio-fuels. Land is valuable and disputed. New mega-projects, such as hydroelectric

dams and mining, are encroaching on indigenous lands. “Our rights to our land are under constant threat,” explains Mario Nicácio, co-ordinator of the Indigenous Council of Roraima, Brazil. “Already because of climate change, we have been experiencing food insecurity, ecological imbalances, and a reduction in the number of fish in rivers and lakes… The government must listen to indigenous people before taking any decision and respect their opinions.”

Water, essential for growing food, is also under threat. “We waste so much time fetching water,” says Dario, a small-scale farmer and village leader from Oro Ku’I in Paraguay. Local communities there are also afraid that surface water is being contaminated by soya growers who use agro-chemicals. As long as communities lack access and control over their land, water supply and other vital resources such as seeds, they will struggle to grow enough to eat and sell.

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God created an abundant world. If we use the earth’s resources with care and share what we have been given, we will have enough for everyone’s needs. But our food system concentrates power in the hands of global companies, investors and governments, and sidelines small-scale producers and consumers across the world. With supply chains stretching across national boundaries, it’s hard to know the real impact that global companies have on workers, farmers and consumers, and the influence they hold behind closed doors. This system isn’t working: it leaves almost a billion people worldwide without enough food. So if we simply produce more food, without changing the way the system works, how can we solve global hunger?

CASE STUDY

“We should value what is ours”

Traditionally, farmers like Fidel Ramos in El Salvador have shared and saved seed, sowing different varieties to suit different conditions and climates. “I believe strongly we shouldn’t let our native seeds disappear, we should value what is ours” he says. “We share seeds between different communities, so that we can grow more varieties of crops.” This means that if one type fails, all is not lost.

Yet, nearly 70 per cent of the global seed market is controlled by just ten companies. The demands of shareholders and respect for community traditions are not necessarily compatible. Some governments and companies urge small-scale farmers to buy hybrid or GM patented seeds which offer a higher yield. But this means farmers may have to buy

new seeds every year, and often herbicides or pesticides too. This can reduce the variety of seeds available and weaken local knowledge and control over food. Many farmers movements have protested against what they say is an attempt to control access to seeds and homogenise crops by the agro-industry.

Did you know? A few hundred companies dominate the global food market.Because they set the rules for their supply chains, they can influence where most of the costs fall and who bears most of the risks.

MYTH: We don’t have enough food to feed everyone. We need to increase the amount we produce.

REALITY: Right now, there’s enough food to feed everyone in the world. But, because it’s not shared fairly, not everyone has enough to eat.

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“�As�financially�powerful�lobbying�groups,�corporations�can�exert�great�control�over�laws,�policies,�and�standards�applied�in�their�industries�which�can�result�in�looser�regulation�and�negative�impacts�on�health,�safety,�price�and�quality�of�food.” Jean Ziegler, former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food

CASE STUDY

“ My life depends on the fluctuating price of coffee”

Around 25 million smallholder farmers produce 80 per cent of the world’s coffee. They are at the mercy of prices controlled by the world market and by more powerful players. As the Fairtrade Foundation highlights, the coffee supply chain is dominated by a handful of multinational trading and roasting companies.

Coffee is a high value, high profit global commodity, but it’s a risky market. Factors like weather conditions and disease can devastate a crop. And when small-scale farmers are not part of cooperatives, they can struggle to get information about prices and markets. As Colombian coffee farmer Bolívar Palechor has found, this makes it hard for producers to predict their income and budget accordingly.

“My life depends on the fluctuating price of coffee,” he says. “You make plans to send your child to school or buy new clothes, but if the coffee price is low, you’re stuffed. It doesn’t matter how hard you work.”

In an inherently unstable market, it’s not fair that producers have to bear these risks while multi-million pound profits are made at the other end of the supply chain.

Imagine being fired one day, and re-hired the next. The job’s the same, but the pay and conditions are worse.

Research by Action Aid has found that leading UK supermarkets have used their power over their suppliers to push down prices, transfer risk onto producers, and discourage them from selling to competitors. Agricultural workers from Costa Rica to India have paid the price – facing low wages and insecure jobs. For example, on Costa Rican banana plantations supplying UK supermarkets, hundreds of workers were fired and then re-hired the next day on temporary contracts, with worse pay and conditions, as part of the drive to cut costs.

Action Aid (2007)‘Who pays? How British supermarkets are keeping women workers in poverty’

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For example, Vietnam’s investment in agriculture helped cut hunger in half over 12 years. Brazil’s increased support for local farmers, community kitchens and social welfare, has already lifted millions of people out of poverty since 2004. We know it’s possible.

When we unite locally and internationally, we can push politicians to action. The Thirst for change campaign added to pressure on the UK government to commit to improved water and sanitation for 60 million people over three years. There is something we can do – speak out for justice.

Recipe for a fairer worldOn one level, the food system’s complex. A deadly mix of different factors combine to stop communities from being able to feed themselves – and we can’t solve all of these overnight. But on another level, it’s very simple. We all have the right to food. We all depend on others for the food we eat. We can all share our hunger for a fair food system.

MYTH: Global hunger has always existed – there’s little we can do about it. REALITY: The number of people across

the world who don’t have enough to eat is growing. But some countries have had remarkable success in freeing millions of people from hunger. With public pressure, political will and targeted investment, this progress could be multiplied worldwide.

Together we can make a difference: CAFOD campaigners thirst for change.

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“�When�I�give�food�to�the�poor,�they�call�me�a�saint.�When�I�ask�why�they�are�poor,�they�call�me�a�communist.” Dom Helder Câmara, Brazil

Bite one – Empowering aid

The majority of small-scale farmers are women, yet agricultural aid and support fails to target them effectively. So we need aid which invests in women.

By working together, farmers can boost their bargaining power and gain a strong collective voice. So we need aid which supports initiatives like co-operatives.

When local markets work well, consumers can buy affordable healthy food and farmers can earn a living. So we need aid and advice which supports developing country governments, to ensure that local markets benefit local communities.

CASE STUDY

“Women are learning more than ever”

In Sabita’s village, it’s hard to grow enough to eat and sell when crops are frequently washed away by heavy rains and sea water flooding. Sabita Biswas is the leader of a women’s group where Caritas Bangladesh, supported by aid from CAFOD, has shared simple solutions like raising vegetable beds a metre or more above ground, and using home-made compost to improve the salty soil. Continued…

We want to see fundamental changes to the global food system, so that power is justly shared between rich and poor. It’s a big task, so we’re going to take it one bite at a time. From September 2012 to October 2013, we’re calling for two things which seek to put the power back into people’s hands: > empowering aid for small-scale farmers, especially women, to help them access markets

and increase their income, bargaining power and voice in decisions.> checks on the power of global food companies, requiring them to report on the lobbying

they do and their impacts on human rights – and to ensure that workers in global supply chains get a fair deal.

We’re also focusing on the choices we make about what we eat and buy. To change the global system, we need to recognise our part in it and live out our desire for a fairer food system.

MYTH: We’ve been giving aid for decades, but people still go hungry. Nothing ever changes.

REALITY: Emergency aid is vital, but aid’s about far more than food relief. Empowering aid which helps people in poverty speak up for their own needs is transforming lives. We’re calling for it to be a global priority.

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CASE STUDY continued

“This plot has made a big difference to my family. It’s improved our diet and given us extra income,” says Sabita. What’s more, the group has enabled these rural women to be heard by government, and contribute to policies which help people prepare for disasters. “Women are learning more than ever about the impact of climate change on our lives and how we can be better prepared for disaster,” she continues. “I am happy to help others through this committee.”

Bite two – Rebalancing power

We all have a right to know how our laws are being made and who is seeking to influence the people in power. A new statutory register for lobbyists could help us find out. But the proposals don’t yet require global food companies (like Tesco and McDonald’s) to report on how they seek to influence government policy behind closed doors. We can’t miss this chance.

There is a new supermarket watchdog: the ombudsman. We want them to use their power to require supermarkets, distributors and food manufacturers to look at their purchasing and pricing practices. We also want supermarkets to work with their suppliers to ensure that they pay their workers enough money to live on.

We’re also calling on the government to support new UK and EU laws that require companies to report on the impact of their business on developing countries, including on the human rights of communities affected by agribusiness and supermarkets.

CASE STUDY

“Respect for workers worldwide”

Modern supply chains are vast, complex and span the globe. It’s not easy to find out what impact the food we eat has on the people who produce it. That’s why in 1998, trade unions, companies and organisations like CAFOD, got together to form the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI). It’s a voluntary scheme, whose members sign a code of conduct which commits them to trying to improve working conditions.

The ETI has over a decade of experience in ethical trading, and shows that big companies, like Sainsbury’s and Asda, are willing to look closely at how they do business. Now it’s time to turn this knowledge into real improvements for more workers around the world.

MYTH: Companies are already tied up in red tape, more laws aren’t going to make a difference.

REALITY: Global companies are a vital and important part of our food system and have an enormous influence over the food that’s grown and eaten throughout the world. To balance this, workers, communities and consumers need a full picture of their activities and impacts.

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Bite three – Living simply

Take a look at what’s on your plate. Much of our food has travelled thousands of miles and passed through countless hands: growers, pickers, packers, exporters, importers, wholesalers, supermarkets – and finally yours! By choosing local, sustainable or Fairtrade food, you can send a powerful signal to companies that you want a fairer food system.

Climate change has a huge impact on people’s ability to grow food – and most of the emissions that lead to climate change come from countries like ours. Saving energy, as well as cutting down on eating meat and on wasting food, shrinks your carbon footprint.

CASE STUDY

“Thinking global, acting local”

“Each year our church celebrates a Passover meal,” says Paul Kelly from St Joseph’s in Ansdell. “For the last two years, as far as possible, all the food was local, organic, animal-friendly or Fairtrade.” Encouraging the congregation to play their part in creating a fairer food system is part of St Joseph’s effort to become a livesimply parish. This also includes saving energy by having recycling points in the church, encouraging individuals to make carbon-cutting pledges, and holding a ‘carbon fast’ on Good Friday and CAFOD Fast Days.

REALITY: We are part of the system – which means we have the power to change it. Changing the food we buy, the amount we waste and the way we use energy can all help tackle poverty.

MYTH: This is a huge global system. It’s nothing to do with me and I can’t change it.

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“�Blessed�are�those�who�hunger�and�thirst�for�righteousness�for�they��will�be�filled.” Matthew 5:6

“Food�is�personal.�It�is�our�first�link�to�another�human�being,�the�very�foundation�of�our�life.�In�an�ideal�world,�we�would�be�immediately�

linked�to�the�producers�of�our�food,�person�to�person,�grower�to�table.�Although�this�is�not�always�practicable,�nevertheless�our�stories�

are�intertwined.” Pauline Derwas, UK

We work in more than 30 of the world’s poorest countries through local partner organisations – often church groups – supporting each community to meet its own needs. This could be by giving people money instead of food so they can prioritise their own needs and buy from local markets; or by speaking out against land grabs or forest destruction. Or by providing seed banks to help crops last longer, agricultural training to improve yields, or support for co-operatives and women’s groups to increase their bargaining power.

The possibilities are endless, but the ultimate goal is the same: people able to feed themselves, today, tomorrow and long into the future.

In 2011/12, we helped over 80,000 families feed themselves and supported over 11,000 households in their small businesses. We spent £8.4 million helping people find reliable ways of earning a living that enables them to put food on the table.

Show your compassion for those who are hungry today by donating to the Harvest and Lent Fast Day collections in your parish or organising a food-themed fundraising event during Lent.

What your money can buy

> trains a farmer in Kenya to improve how they market their crops

>

>

>

> buys seeds, saplings and training for a family vegetable garden in Bangladesh

buys a greenhouse which helps families in Bolivia grow healthy fruit and vegetables

buys a community grain bank for farmers in Zambia to safely store their crops

helps three women farmers in Paraguay increase their skills and have a stronger voice in decision-making

How you can help:

MYTH: The main thing that charities like CAFOD do is give out food.

REALITY: In emergencies, we do provide life-saving food aid. Where we can, we buy food locally to boost local markets. But our main focus is empowering people to escape poverty so that they can buy or grow healthy, nutritious food in the long term. No one wants to be dependent on food aid forever.

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Join our Hungry for change campaign. You have the power to make a difference… …as constituents: In 2013, the UK hosts the G8, a crucial opportunity to put food high on the global agenda. Send an action card or email to David Cameron, calling him to put power back into the hands of the poorest people. Tick the box on the card to receive the latest news and actions as the campaign grows.

…as consumers: Think about the food you buy and who produced it. Look for the Fairtrade mark and other sustainable labels. And remember what your granny told you: ‘waste not, want not’.

…as a community: Encourage your parish, school or group to join the campaign. Each action card is designed for sharing. There’s one part for you to sign and send, and another to give to a friend. You can multiply the impact by telling others.

On the loaf or the fish, write your own message, prayer or pledge for a world free from hunger. Why not display these messages in your community, perhaps at a shared meal or picnic, where other people can be invited to share your commitment and add their own messages?

Collect up your action cards, loaves and fishes and return them to CAFOD and we’ll hand them in throughout 2013 at times when they can really make an impact. So please start sending them in now, to arrive by 1 October 2013 at the very latest.

Remember those who can’t feed their families, and those who are calling for justice, in your prayers.

How you can help:

Each person is made in the image of God, therefore each of us has a responsibility to others as well as to ourselves.

Sharing is part of our faith. Our hunger for change, in solidarity with our neighbours and through the grace of God, can transform our world.

“�He�took�the�five�loaves�and�the�two�fish,�raised�his�eyes�to�heaven�and�said�the�blessing�…�They�all�ate�as�much�as�they�wanted.” Matthew 14:19-20

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Ready for action

SEPTEMBER 2012 > Hungry for change campaign launches

5 OCTOBER 2012 > Harvest Fast Day

10 NOVEMBER 2012 > CAFOD campaigners’ conference

22 FEBRUARY 2013 > Lent Fast Day

JUNE 2013 > UK hosts the G8 summit

1 OCTOBER 2013 > Deadline to send in your actions

16 OCTOBER 2013 > Hungry for change campaign culminates on World Food Day

We’re also joining with other major charities throughout 2013 to share our resources and create a real hunger for change. When you hear calls for a fair food system in the media, on the high street and in your community, CAFOD is part of it. And so are you.

A shared campaign

“�The�problems�we�face�in�Kenya�are�the�same�as�the�problems�in�the�UK.�The�difference�is�the�magnitude.�We�are�bound�together�in�our�problems�and�successes.�We�are�one�world.” Antony Mbandi, Kenya

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Visit cafod.org.uk/hungry for more resources on food, including Lent materials from January 2013.

#hungryforchange

“�A�future�without�hunger�can�become�a�reality�if�the�only�things�we�are�hungry�for�are�sharing,�solidarity�and�justice.” Cardinal Rodriguez Maradiaga, Honduras

“�Food�is�a�basic�human�right�and�needed�by�all.�God�created�us�to��be�stewards�of�the�earth�and�share�the�fruits�of�our�labour,�we�need��to�work�together�to�achieve�this.” Lisa McBride, UK

CAFOD, Romero House, 55 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7JB

August 2012. For sources and references see cafod.org.uk/hungry

Photography: Annie Bungeroth, Simon Rawles, Paul Smith, Claudia Torres, Zarina Holmes, Peter Booth, Gabor Izso, Esther Gillingham.

Registered Charity No. 285776

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Documents

“Sharing is part of my faith. Sharing takes us through ... for thou… · through hard times. ... boundaries, it’s hard to know the real impact that global companies have on workers,