More than half of Colombia’s population suffers from food insecurity, and more than 500,000 children suffer from chronic malnutrition. Colombian households that used to consume three meals a day have decreased from 90% before the pandemic to 70.9%. That, coupled with the rising costs of food, means families are becoming more food insecure and need access to nutritious meals.
Twenty-two million smallholder farmers in the region live on less than $5 per day, produce below their potential, and are unable to directly access formal, high-value markets to sell their produce. With your help, they will be able to achieve more.
The Urban Feeding and Training Farms project aims to expand a feeding program to 1,300 children living in the slums of Barranquilla by providing them with locally sourced meals. It will also create new economic opportunities for farming families by establishing 6 new community training farms to empower 170 women and benefit 500 additional farmers to become successful farmers and entrepreneurs.
Farmers will receive business and agricultural training, and access to commercialization support for their production to sustain livelihoods. Upon graduation, beneficiaries will have the skills and experience to lease their own their own land, grow their own crops, and further develop their communities. Children will receive a weekly delivery of approximately 13.2 pounds of produce for one year.
“It’s a challenge to raise four children. Acceso has helped us tremendously; helped us to keep moving forward. Oftentimes, the women feel like they’re below the men, but we feel joy. We can tell other women that there is joy in working and we can say that we can make it without a man. We want to work. We don’t want to depend on others.” – Fátima, one of the melon farmers at La Doctrina community farm
