Most of the people who experience hunger globally are small-scale farmers.
After years of progress against global hunger the number of hungry people in the world is rising again.
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1 to 4 players per game
20 minutes plus discussion time
Each player represents a small-scale farmer in a developing country. You have enough food to get by day-to-day but don't have food stored for the future. You don't have money to spend on learning and experimenting with new farming methods. Your goal is to break the cycle of food shortage and hunger.
To increase your chance of breaking the cycle of hunger, collect all five development cards.
If you want to learn more about these questions and possible responses, please contact us at [email protected]
Development: Working to reduce hunger, poverty and inequality in communities and around the world.
Crop: A field of plants that is grown to be harvested as food, feed for livestock, fuel or for any other economic purpose.
Famine: A drastic, wide-reaching food shortage which results in severe hunger, even death. Though the word is used frequently, a famine is a rare occurrence. Not all food crises result in famine. According to the World Food Programme in order for a famine to be declared, there must be evidence of specific conditions. The ‘famine’ square is removed from the regular sequence of this game to underscore that it is a rare and catastrophic event.
Food Assistance: The distribution of food to those who are in need. It may also include distributing cash or vouchers to people to buy food in a local market or distributing tools or agricultural inputs like fertilizer to help people grow food. Most of Canada’s international food assistance is purchased in the region where it is to be distributed. Buying food locally, as opposed to shipping it from Canada, benefits or reduces harm to the local economy. Also, food purchased locally is usually more culturally appropriate.
Seed bank: A collection of seeds, of different plant varieties and species, which is stored to preserve genetic diversity. This helps ensure diversity and quality of future crops and food consumption. Seed banks may be in the form of a cooperative in which local farmers can share seeds.
Soil erosion: A process that removes the fertile topsoil layers and carries it away from farmers’ fields.
Terraces: A series of flat areas resembling a series of steps that have been formed on a slope to allow for farming on a hill or mountain. Terraced fields decrease erosion and surface runoff.
Topsoil: The upper, outermost layer of soil which has the highest concentration of nutrient rich organic matter.
Canadian Foodgrains Bank is a partnership of 15 Canadian churches and church-based agencies working together to end global hunger through: