This post by senior fellow Roger Thurow originally appeared on the Outrage and Inspire blog.
We’re excited to announce the launch of a new multi-part film series on Roger Thurow’s The Last Hunger Season. Now through October 16—coinciding with World Food Day 2014—we will be releasing two episodes from the series per week. Part 2 is now available below. See all episodes.
On her farm at the foot of the Lugulu Hills in western Kenya, Leonida Wanyama is up long before the sun. Her day begins by lighting a candle and a kerosene lamp, and then milking her one cow. She pours the milk in containers and balances them on the back of a rickety bicycle. Then her husband Peter peddles off into the pre-dawn darkness, in search of customers for the milk. Leonida picks up her hoe to prepare for a morning of tending her crops in the field.
The day is filled with anxiety. Scraping together enough money to buy food for at least one meal. Negotiating prices with the shop owner who bought her maize after the harvest and now demands a price six times higher when Leonida needs to buy during the hunger season. Worrying over how long her children will be able to remain in school before being sent home for more tuition money.
In episode two of The Last Hunger Season film series, we hear from Leonida, her husband, and their children as they make it through the day. We see that the romantic ideal of African farmers tending bucolic fields is in reality a horror scene of malnourished children, backbreaking manual work, and constant worry of how to get by on the equivalent of one or two dollars a day.
We see that every shilling counts and every kernel of maize is precious as the farmers persevere to conquer the hunger season.
Roger Thurow - A Day in the Life of Africa’s Family Farmers
About
The Global Food and Agriculture Program aims to inform the development of US policy on global agricultural development and food security by raising awareness and providing resources, information, and policy analysis to the US Administration, Congress, and interested experts and organizations.
The Global Food and Agriculture Program is housed within the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, an independent, nonpartisan organization that provides insight – and influences the public discourse – on critical global issues. The Council on Global Affairs convenes leading global voices and conducts independent research to bring clarity and offer solutions to challenges and opportunities across the globe. The Council is committed to engaging the public and raising global awareness of issues that transcend borders and transform how people, business, and governments engage the world.
Support for the Global Food and Agriculture Program is generously provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Blogroll
1,000 Days Blog, 1,000 Days
Africa Can End Poverty, World Bank
Agrilinks Blog
Bread Blog, Bread for the World
Can We Feed the World Blog, Agriculture for Impact
Concern Blogs, Concern Worldwide
Institute Insights, Bread for the World Institute
End Poverty in South Asia, World Bank
Global Development Blog, Center for Global Development
The Global Food Banking Network
Harvest 2050, Global Harvest Initiative
The Hunger and Undernutrition Blog, Humanitas Global Development
International Food Policy Research Institute News, IFPRI
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center Blog, CIMMYT
ONE Blog, ONE Campaign
One Acre Fund Blog, One Acre Fund
Overseas Development Institute Blog, Overseas Development Institute
Oxfam America Blog, Oxfam America
Preventing Postharvest Loss, ADM Institute
Sense & Sustainability Blog, Sense & Sustainability
WFP USA Blog, World Food Program USA
Archive
Next Generation 2018 - How Can Diplomacy Prevent Food Price Shocks?
The first post in the 2018 Next Generation blog series is by Craig Robinson, PhD candidate at the Australian National University.
The World's Eyes Are Watching Colombia's Orinoquia
Orinoquia represents a rare opportunity to make decisions that are good for both the population and the planet.
Rural Girl Allies Build Stable States
When rural girls are not safe, there will not be lasting global peace and security.
Guest Commentary - Hidden Infections Deplete Girls' Education Momentum and Undercut Economic Growth for All
In order to generate the projected trillions of dollars in economic growth gender equality can bring, we must first ensure that girls stay in school.
Big Ideas and Emerging Innovations
Highlighting approaches, technologies, and ideas that have the potential to radically advance global food security.
This Week's Edition of the Global Food for Thought News Brief
Check out this week's news brief.
As Rural Girls Rise, so Do the World’s Economic Markets
Millions of rural girls have yet to receive the education, financial resources, and public health investments that they need in order to rise beyond poverty. Before economic gains can be realized, global leaders must invest in girls.
Guest Commentary - The Future of Work depends on Electrification for Rural Girls
While those with unlimited access to the digital world are gradually adapting to new job markets, those without exposure are falling behind in the technical skills necessary to stay competitive.
The Future of Work is Female
When investment in rural educataion and infastrucure lags, we are holding girls back—and holding back economic growth for us all.
Big Ideas and Emerging Innovations
Highlighting approaches, technologies, and ideas that have the potential to radically advance global food security.
Guest Commentary - Women and Girls: Land Rights for Climate Resilience
Rural women and girls can be actors for climate resilience rather than victims of inequality and circumstance—if given the right resources.
Rural Girls Are on the Front Lines of Climate Change
Conversations on climate change are usually peppered with industrial terms: greenhouse gases, industry offsets, carbon credits. But one of the most powerful levers to reduce climate change remains largely overlooked: empowering girls through education.
Guest Commentary - Our Rivers are Barometers of Environmental Neglect - It’s Time to Clean Them Up
Just as monitoring a person’s blood can tell us a lot about their health, so can monitoring water quality, animal and plant life, and river conditions tell us a lot about the state of a catchment and the critical pressures on a river.