IFOAM Joins Zero Hunger Challenge

The Zero Hunger Challenge invites all nations to work for a future where everyone enjoys their right to food and all food systems are resilient. In the scope of their Food Security Campaign, IFOAM is part of the Zero Hunger Challenge, which is aiming to eliminate hunger in our lifetimes. The IFOAM challenge of Zero Hunger for means:

Zero stunted children less than 2 years: IFOAM calls on governments, international organizations and the private sector to put policies in place that provide equitable access to nutritious and healthy food for all. At the same time, IFOAM’s campaigns challenge policies that have led to the hunger crisis by favoring industrial food and agriculture systems.

100% access to adequate food all year round: IFOAM advocates for the elimination of policies on agriculture, food and trade that lead to hunger and stunting, while their projects and trainings aim at enabling smallholders to produce sufficient nutritious food for themselves and their communities. Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) are locally focused quality assurance systems. They certify producers based on active participation of stakeholders and are built on a foundation of trust, social networks and knowledge exchange. IFOAM encourages and supports the development of PGS initiatives, which already incorporate thousands of small organic farmers and consumers all over the world, and numbers are increasing every year.

All food systems are sustainable: IFOAM actively supports systems of production, distribution and trade that are open and equitable and account for real environmental and social costs. All policies regarding food systems should reflect the values and needs of all who might be affected, therefore IFOAM advocates for transparent and participatory decision-making processes. IFOAM also maps the diversity of ecologically intensified organic farming systems to provide policy makers with a comprehensive overview of the power of nature to nourish the world.

100% increase in smallholder productivity and income: IFOAM aims to reverse the prevailing paradigm of food scarcity and empower the world's 3 billion small food producers with the knowledge to affordably increase the performance of their farms and livelihoods based on ecological practices and biodiversity (e.g. by providing training manuals for African smallholders on farming techniques that build farm resilience).
 
Zero loss or waste of food: IFOAM advocates for global, regional and national policies that prevent the loss and waste of food. IFOAM works for a shift in the global food system towards sustainability by solutions such as short value chains and strengthened local markets. Organic Participatory Guarantee Systems enable local communities to make the best use of their farm products and create and strengthen internal market links so that they become less exposed to the influence of industrial agriculture that leads to enormous food loss and waste. More information is available here.