Food & climate change

After two weeks of splitting hairs over key elements of a new climate treaty at the UN climate talks here in Lima, governments failed once again to put the world on a pathway to keep global warming under control. It is sobering to think that this same process of UN climate negotiations started 20 years ago! What will it take for governments to act?

With just two days to go at the UN Climate Conference in Lima and in the biggest march in Peru in the last 20 years — thousands of people took to the streets yesterday to demand action against climate change.

Anariata, 28, lives in Mozambique, where regular drought can mean life-threatening hunger. Despite the dry, desert-like conditions, Anariata has learned how to produce and sell food for improved nutrition and valuable income — and is now teaching others how to do the same.

As representatives from more than 195 governments around the world come together in Lima, Peru this week to work on drafting a global treaty on climate change, they should heed the words of Peruvian farmer Marisa Marcavillaca: “Climate change is not just about the climate, it is about our lives.”

Last weekend activists unveiled a banner at Huaca Pucllana, the site of an ancient pyramid in Lima, Peru ahead of the UN climate conference starting this week. The message to leaders and rich countries like Australia is clear — we must do more.

Together, we’ve been campaigning for six months to have Australia’s Big 4 Banks change their policies to land grabs. In the past two weeks both NAB and Westpac have taken steps to reduce their risk of backing companies involved in land grabs. Now, the pressure is on the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and the ANZ Bank.

Westpac and National Australia Bank (NAB) have become the first of the big four banks to release a policy on land grabs — a significant step forward to stop unfair land deals that leave people around the world homeless and hungry.

When Amy Christian visited Mozambique, she met Tereza and her family. Tereza is the sole provider for her family and finds it difficult to provide for her family not knowing where the next meal will come from. Read her experiences and find out how you could change someone’s life.

Over the course of a year, Oxfam has spent hundreds of hours researching and documenting links between Australia’s big banks and multinational agriculture and timber businesses that are land grabbing in some of the world’s poorest communities. Since our report was issued both the NAB and Westpac have developed policies to better respond to the issue of land grabs.

The two great challenges of our time — inequality and climate change — are threatening to undermine the efforts of millions of people to escape poverty and hunger. By concentrating wealth and power in the hands of a few, inequality robs the poorest people of the support they need to improve their lives.

Barbara’s house is made of mud and has a tin roof. She’s sitting outside, tearing Kalembla leaves from their stems, dropping them into a small bowl on her lap. Her two children Gertrude (10) and Edward (5) are next to her, their eyes fixed wide. They are subdued, limbs propped around each other, stroking the dry earth with their feet.

As one of 520 Eat Local Feed Global events this year to create awareness of climate change and food security, Oxfam and 350.org hosted a welcome barbecue for two of the 30 Pacific Climate Warriors.

Some pointers for those wanting to take action A number of Oxfam supporters with shareholdings in the big four banks have approached us for information about the upcoming series of big bank Annual General Meetings (AGMs) being held in the lead-up to Christmas. Below is a Q & A about these AGMs, and how bank […]

How can we reduce hunger at the same time that our changing climate is making access to food more difficult for millions around the world? Oxfam Australia’s Chief Executive Dr Helen Szoke will discuss the challenges we face in Tasmania this November.

In this video, we meet Tereza and her family in Mozambique. When food runs low, Tereza turns to burning charcoal and selling it by the side of the road as a source of income. Despite the labour and hard work, it’s difficult to provide the food they need — as well as clothing and a means to an education. Find out how you can change this.

In Mozambique, families depend mostly on crops for survival. Besides growing food to consume at home, the produce is a valuable source of income. But in a country recognised as one of the most disaster prone countries in the world, regular drought can mean severe hunger for entire communities.

Climate change is already having an impact on the ability of communities to feed themselves — communities like that of Virginia Ñuñonca, a farmer in the Peruvian highlands. Like many of the world’s more than 500 million family farmers, Virginia is experiencing increased impacts from climate change. Changing seasons and extreme weather are leading to […]

Birtukan Dagnachew Tegegn believes in making a contribution to the world — through farming. “When you collect the harvest … it makes you feel like you are witnessing the wonders of nature,” she said. “[You are] taking care of the most valuable thing, which is the food we all eat.” But making a living this […]

By Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director, Oxfam International. Across South Asia and Southeast Asia, millions of small family farms are the bedrock of national food security. But the pressure on these farmers is increasing. Population growth is not slowing, demand for land for development is accelerating, and agricultural productivity seems to be reaching a plateau. When […]

By Oxfam GROW in El Salvador Food. It’s one of life’s great pleasures. We think about it all the time. Most of us eat food at least three times a day. Some of us take photos of food and upload them to social media. But in El Salvador those who grow over 80% of the […]

It’s 4am. You get up like any other morning with your young baby. Except today is different. Last night a freak storm flooded your fields and your crops are out of action. You don’t know how you will make a living or feed your family in the coming months. This is the reality that many […]

South Sudan is facing the world’s worst food crisis, driven by the conflict that erupted in December 2013. Unless there is an end to the fighting, this food crisis will continue. More than two million people are facing severe food insecurity in South Sudan.  As the dry season begins, the brutal conflict that provoked this disaster is about […]

Oxfam Australia is fortunate to have passionate and knowledgeable prominent Australians supporting our Eat Local Feed Global initiative this October. Met some of the celebrities who are helping to create a world free from hunger and inequality.

For Oxfam, and for hundreds of millions of people around the world, climate change is about food. It is about the ability of communities to feed themselves. Put simply – a hot world is a hungry world. Extreme weather, unpredictable rains, and rising seas, are making it harder for people to grow and buy enough food to eat.