Canada pouring $35.5 million into Canadian Foodgrains Bank new food security program

"Global food insecurity," experienced by one-in-nine people, "not only leads to hunger, famine, and death," but also "instability, conflict and war."

Today, the federal government announced $35.5 million will be going to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB) over the next three years to help tackle food insecurity.

Canada’s minister of international development, Ahmed Hussen, said food insecurity is rampant globally.

“One in nine people — some almost 800 million people — do not have enough food to lead a healthy and active life,” he said, adding the consequences can be steep.

“Global food insecurity not only leads to hunger, famine, and death, (but) it can also lead to instability, conflict and war.”

Kenneth Kim, board chair of the CFGB, said the hefty grant will fund a new program called Nature Positive Food Systems for Climate Change Adaptation in East Africa, also known as: “Nature Positive Plus.”

The multi-year program is focused on helping those living in the rural areas of Ethipoia, Kenya, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, adapt to climate change for better food security, Kim said.

Barbara MacDonald, director of international programs with CFGB, said climate change is one of the key drivers of hunger globally.

“I think you can imagine that producing enough food for your family and your community becomes significantly more difficult when dealing with unpredictable rainfall, historical levels of drought, floods. And this is especially true when farming and agriculture is your livelihood,'” she said.