„A life in dignity is so much more than just not having to go hungry.“

Madame Bodo, Madagascar

Even those who eat enough calorific food are often far from having the right to adequate nutrition.

People living in poverty in particular are forced to eat an inadequate and unhealthy diet. The consequences are physical suffering, but also the inability to participate fully in social and economic life.

Children who are denied access to a healthy diet often suffer from the consequences of delayed physical and mental development for the rest of their lives.

But even in old age, malnutrition contributes massively to illness and premature death.

In 2017 alone, it is estimated that 11 million people worldwide died as a result of an unhealthy diet.

Food does not arrive where it is needed

People around the world are working to solve this problem. And it's not just about producing more healthy food. For example, more calories are already being produced than are needed to feed the world's population. The food is not getting to where it is needed. In addition to conflicts and disasters , deep poverty prevents many people from having enough to eat. Two out of five people worldwide simply do not have the money to buy enough healthy food. Yet global prosperity would be sufficient to close this poverty gap in healthy nutrition.

Even where people can buy good food, it is difficult for them to choose healthy options. Nutrient-poor but energy-rich products high in fat, sugar and carbohydrates but low in minerals and vitamins are omnipresent, convenient and marketed with huge advertising budgets. Products such as fresh fruit and vegetables are often relatively more expensive and the markets are difficult to reach. In addition to helping to improve production and access to healthy food, educational work and campaigning for better laws are therefore crucial for many of our partners to ensure that good food is available to everyone.

Climate and biodiversity crisis threaten food security

The climate and biodiversity crisis is already jeopardising our ability to feed ourselves healthily. Droughts and heavy rainfall are damaging plants and animals. At the same time, the production, processing and marketing of food is contributing massively to the destruction of our livelihoods. This does not have to be the case. Together with food producers and consumers, our partners develop and disseminate suitable solutions to jointly realise the needs of people and the protection of livelihoods.

Health risks due to pesticide use

One example of this work is dealing with the use of toxic pesticides. These are not only harmful to the environment, but also to the health of people who are often exposed to them without protection. According to estimates, 44 per cent of all farmers worldwide suffer from acute symptoms of poisoning every year. People in economically poorer countries are particularly affected. Many steps must be taken together to solve this problem. These include the dissemination of effective alternatives, information about the risks of chemicals and campaigning for better laws. The work in the global South and North goes hand in hand, as many of the pesticides come from Germany and the food produced with them is imported to us.

Our areas of work

Kenya drought 2022
Fighting hunger

Although enough food is produced worldwide, hunger and malnutrition are still part of the lives of millions of people. This is also shown by the "healthy nutrition poverty gap". But hunger is not the result of an unchangeable fate, there are ways and means of combating it.

Product range on the market
Promoting sustainable agriculture

Sustainable agriculture and biodiversity play a crucial role in nutrition. They preserve the environment and are a basis for healthy nutrition. They also create fair conditions between agriculture, processing, trade and consumers.

Man sprays pesticides in rice field
Pesticides

Highly hazardous pesticides that are banned in the EU continue to be used in other countries around the world. Some of these pesticides are produced in Germany and then exported. As part of a global movement, we are campaigning for an end to these double standards.

Hidden costs in food cultivation
The true cost of our food

The true cost of our food is not currently included in its price. This is because the cultivation of food has often caused hidden costs for social and ecological damage. We are calling for a reform of the current corporate accounting in the agricultural and food sector.

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