Agriculture & Food
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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
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Niger: Mother and child in Niger February 21, 2012
One of many mothers worried about the lack of food for their children after severe drought and a meagre 2011 harvest have brought the lean season to Filingue and the rest of Niger months early.
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Niger: Malnutrition screenings in Filingue February 20, 2012
Mothers — and often grandmothers caring for babies left orphaned — come to the nutritional screening centre in Filingue, where Mercy Corps volunteers assess each child for malnourishment using arm measurements and a formula that takes into account age and weight.
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Myanmar: A father plants seeds for a new future February 17, 2012
A wide grin spreads across U Myo Zaw’s long, lively face as he eyes his new watering cans and vegetable seeds. The relatively simple supplies will help him cultivate his own small plot of land, a tremendous symbol of personal progress for him.
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Niger: The growing food crisis in Niger February 1, 2012
There’s a crisis brewing in Niger, West Africa.
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Ethiopia: Grain storage bags make a big impact for Ethiopia's farmers January 27, 2012
Our Ethiopia teams worked with local farmers to develop a simple solution to yield more from grain harvests: plastic coated bags to protect the grain from pests and mould during longterm storage underground.
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Ethiopia: A simple solution makes a big impact for Ethiopia's farming families January 27, 2012
When drought hits and families are struggling to survive, the solutions don’t always have to be complicated or expensive. As I learnt from our team in Ethiopia last year, something as simple as a sack can mean the difference between hunger and happiness for a farming family.
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Mongolia: Songs of success January 6, 2012
Tserennadmid is a woman with plenty to sing about. Her company, Zugraan Egshig, or Six Tunes, is a thriving tourism and produce business located in an especially scenic region of Mongolia's Arkhangai province.
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Nepal: From unbanked to borrowers December 14, 2011
If you’re a bank, eastern Nepal might not seem like the most desirable place to open new branches.
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Myanmar: Daw Than Than Shwe, rice farmer November 28, 2011
Fifty-five-year-old Daw Than Than Shwe, a mother of two, grows 27 acres of rice in Kyu Taw village in Myanmar's Irawaddy Delta.
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Myanmar: Improving harvests in a cyclone's wake November 28, 2011
Tun Myint, 61, has been farming since he was a teenager. Smiling broadly under a bamboo hat, he greeted us and was eager to take us to see his 20 acres of rice fields.