In Context: Malnutrition 101

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Falguni Vyas

Editor’s note: In Context is a new series designed to inform and educate you on Heifer’s work in each country we have a presence. Every two weeks we’ll tackle a different country and examine unique situations related to hunger and poverty, how Heifer works to address them as well as take some time to explore local culture and traditions.

According to the World Health Organization, malnutrition affects one in three people worldwide and each of its forms kills more people globally than any other disease. It affects all age groups, but is especially common among the poor and those with inadequate access to health education, clean water and proper sanitation.

These are the facts:

Over 925 million people go to bed hungry every night
Every 6 seconds a child dies from malnutrition and related causes
Chronic food deficit affects 20% of the population in developing countries
More than 70% of children with protein-energy malnutrition live in Asia, 26% live in Africa, and 4% in Latin America and the Caribbean

Malnutrition, which exists even when hunger isn’t present, is when you lack the nutrients that your body needs to develop and grow. The two don’t always go hand in hand. There are instances where there is plenty to eat but one is still malnourished because the food that’s available or being consumed is not providing the body with the right nutrients it needs to be healthy and function. Clinically, malnutrition is characterized by inadequate or excess intake of protein, energy and micronutrients such as vitamins, and the frequent infections and disorders that result.

People who suffer from malnutrition are more likely to get sick and, in severe cases, often die from it. The percentage of deaths caused by malnutrition is unmatched by any other infectious disease since the Black Death.

One is considered malnourished if:

They are unable to completely utilize the food they eat due to an illness. This is called secondary malnutrition. Food is not the answer to curing secondary malnutrition as illnesses like frequent diarrhea prevents your body from absorbing nutrients

Diet does not provide adequate calories and protein to grow and maintain the body, known as under nutrition or protein-energy malnutrition. It’s harder to recover from illness or disease in this case as your body needs more protein to recover than is normal. Protein-energy malnutrition contributes to half of all under-five deaths every year in developing countries

And, just to be clear, malnutrition means “bad” nutrition not “not enough” nutrition. Overnutrition is a form of malnutrition where too many calories are consumed. This is when the body is overloaded with nutrients and cannot process them effectively, resulting in obesity or vitamin poisoning

Effects of malnutrition:

Marasmus, which is the wasting of fat, muscle and other tissues

Cretinism and irreversible brain damage due to iodine deficiency, also causes mental retardation, delayed development and blindness in severe cases

Blindness and increased risk of infection and death from vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A deficiency is the biggest cause of preventable blindness in the developing world. Children in developing countries who have a severe vitamin A deficiency as a result of malnutrition have a greater chance of getting sick or of dying from infections such as diarrhea and measles.

Anemia, caused by iron deficiency, is estimated to affect more than 2 billion people worldwide. Iron deficiency can cause a person to be less active and less able to concentrate. Students who are malnourished often have trouble keeping up in school.

Here’s a handy infographic from www.alltop.com that describes what happens when you have too much or too little of something:

Oh, and one last (not so) little fact? The world produces enough food to feed everyone in it.

Hunger and malnutrition can be stopped. You can pitch in today by visiting the Heifer Gift Catalog. To learn more on how Heifer works to end hunger, click here.

In Context: India

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Falguni Vyas

Written by Avni Malhotra, Country Representative, Heifer India

Population: 1.2 Billion

Native greeting: Namaskar (Salutations)

Capital: New Delhi

Official language: There are 16 official languages but Hindi and English are the most widely spoken

Local currency: Indian Rupee

The Republic of India is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with more than 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Home to the ancient Indus Valley civilization and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four of the world’s major religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism—originated here, while Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam arrived in the first millennium and shaped the region’s diverse culture. Gradually annexed by the British East India Company from the early 18th century and colonized by the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence which was marked by a non-violent resistance led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

India is a federal constitutional republic with a parliamentary democracy consisting of 28 states and seven union territories. A pluralistic, multilingual and multiethnic society where more than 400 languages are spoken, India is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.

Economically India has the world’s eleventh largest economy by nominal GDP and the fourth largest by purchasing power parity. Since the introduction of market-based economic reforms in 1991, India has become one of the fastest growing major economies in the world, but the country continues to face severe poverty, illiteracy, corruption and public health related challenges.

The figure related to how many are poor in India has been a subject of debate. According to the latest government figures 29.8% of the population was poor in 2009-10. But studies show different estimates made by different methods. A more recent study states that the population living below $ 2 a day is 75.6% of the 1.2 billion.

Poverty in India is a major issue. Rural Indians depend on unpredictable agriculture incomes, while urban Indians rely on jobs that are, at best, scarce. Since its independence, the issue of poverty within India has remained a prevalent concern. More than 75% of poor people reside in villages.

For these poor people who live in the rural areas, agriculture is their main source of income. Developments in this sector thus impact the rural poor. In the 1960s India had a revolution in agriculture that boosted its productivity, popularly known as the “Green Revolution”. In the 1980s another breakthrough was the cooperative movement in the dairy sector, popularly known as the “White Revolution” or Operation Flood. Since then, India is waiting for a breakthrough that will enhance production to feed the growing population. The imbalance between the production and consumption of food leads to a tentativeness which results in disturbances in the supply chain leading to rises in prices of essential commodities. Also enhanced productivity is required to feed the growing numbers, especially the marginalized populations.

Photo courtesy of Heather Buckley, Creative Commons

The Structure of the society lends itself to discrimination. As has been described earlier, the society is pluralistic and the long history is witness to the fact that at some point or another one or the other community dominated and ruled the country. Thus, there is a long history and many factors that divide this nation socially. This is a major weakness in the economy, that growth is not perceived as being sufficiently inclusive for many groups, especially Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and minorities. In addition to gender inequality also remains a pervasive problem and some of the structural changes taking place have an adverse effect on women. For these marginalized groups [SC and ST, minority and women], the rate in decline in poverty has not accelerated along with the growth. The absolute number of people living under the poverty line has also not decreased (320 million in 1993-1994 to 302 million in 2004-2005).

In India, women as a whole have a lower status than their male counterparts. They are not only subjected to the rigors of traditional social structure but are also neglected in terms of food and health care from early childhood. Gender inequality is therefore distinct from other forms of economic and social inequalities. It dwells not only outside the household but also centrally within it. Gender inequality has adverse impact on development goals as it reduces economic growth. It hampers the overall well-being because it blocks women from participation in social, political and economic activities. This can adversely affect the whole society. India has witnessed gender inequality from its early history due to its socio-economic and religious practices that resulted in a wide gap between the position of men and women in the society.

Though there is reduction in gender discrimination by the efforts made by government policies but still there are loopholes in the society and policy implementation at the grass root level to address gender issues. As persistent gender inequalities continue we need to rethink concepts and strategies for promoting women’s dignity and rights.

India is among the world’s most disaster prone areas with a population of more than one billion. The geographical statistics of India show that almost 57% of the land is vulnerable to earthquakes; 28% to drought; 8% to cyclones and 12% to floods.

Heifer Approach

Livestock portfolio: Goats, chickens and cows

Technology portfolio: Rain water harvesting tanks, improved cooking stoves, microcredit lending programs and self help groups

Issues addressed: Women’s empowerment and livelihood promotion

The main focus has been to work with communities that have the greatest need for assistance. The program tries to encompass all the interrelated forces within a community in order to ensure full participation and build solidarity.

Heifer projects are implemented through NGO partners. This allows for a continuous and two-way flow of information, resources and support among the project groups, project partners and Heifer. Prior to Heifer’s involvement in the community, the partner NGO facilitates the community members to form self-help groups which undertake savings and credit activities and hold monthly meetings.

Women are the direct project participants through whom the entire family benefits. This mechanism aims to empower women to end the deep-rooted gender discrimination in the society.

The 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development are the time-tested principles that enable the community to assess and realize its own potential to achieve holistic development. Passing on the Gift is the main value that encourages participants to share their inputs and learning with others similar to them.

Building on the valuable experience of working with the communities, Heifer has learnt that real development goes beyond distributing physical inputs and technical trainings and thus propagates the Values based Holistic Community Development (VBHCD) model. This model recognizes the need to empower communities for a sustainable and self-reliant society. It builds on the strengths and values that are innate in every culture and society and encourages people to see themselves as having strengths and values rather than seeing themselves in a situation of hopeless poverty.

Using livestock and technical trainings as entry tools Heifer forms a relationship with the community and then works as a catalyst for holistic transformation, according to the community’s vision. The model addresses the interrelated elements of poverty, enabling individuals to take charge of their individual and community development. Once the project participants begin to take charge of their own development, the program’s impact becomes boundless and goes beyond the initial inputs.

In Context: Cameroon

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Falguni Vyas

Population: 20 Million
Native greeting: Bonjour! (Hello!)
Capital: Yaounde (second largest city in Cameroon)
Official language: French and English
Local currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFA)

Geography
Cameroon is a central African nation bordered by Nigeria, Chad, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. The Gulf of Guinea lies to the southwest of the country and the Sahel region, the zone of transition between the Sahara desert and the Savanna, runs through northern Cameroon. The climate ranges from tropical along the coast to semi-arid and hot in the north.

History
European presence in Cameroon was limited to coastal trade as malaria prevented any significant settlement of the country’s interior. It wasn’t until 1884, after large quantities of Quinine, a malaria suppressant, became available, that Germany colonized and named the country “Kamerun”. Under the League of Nations, post World War I Cameroon was partitioned between France and England, with France given larger geographical share. After a brief armed struggle for independence for French Cameroon in 1955 led by the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon, French Cameroon gained independence in 1960 and was officially named Republic of Cameroon. The following year the largely Muslim northern two-thirds of British Cameroon voted to separate and join Nigeria and the largely Christian southern third voted to join the Republic of Cameroon.

Cameroon is a young country that has yet to establish adequate infrastructure. Roads connecting urban centers to rural areas are far and few. The unemployment rate is at 30% and with 7 out of 10 young people as being under-employed, the Government is making employment, particularly among young people, a priority. Ranked 150^th on the 2011 Human Development Index, it is estimated that 48% of the population lives under the poverty line.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

Poverty in Cameroon is largely a rural phenomenon. 55% of the country’s poor live in rural areas. A 2007 study shows a decline (of about 5 points) of poverty in urban areas whereas as rural areas, especially those in the north saw a rise in poverty by about 3 points. Most affected are women andchildren. About half of the people living in poor households are women and children under the age of 15. A household study conducted in Cameroon in 2007showed that only 18% of rural women have a secondary-level education and 14% of women that are living in the northern parts of the country receiving secondary-level schooling.

Heifer Cameroon

Livestock portfolio: Pigs; dairy cattle; meat goats; sheep; snails; cane rats; poultry; rabbits; guinea pigs and donkeys

Technology portfolio: Integrated crop-livestock agriculture; organic farming; minimum tillage; contour bonds; ethno-veterinary practices; community animal healthcare; bio-sand filters and biogas technology

Issues addressed: Sustainable food systems; income security; nutrition; environment; gender; youth and potable water

Job creation among the rural poor is a step to alleviating poverty in Cameroon. Heifer Cameroon began its work in country by focusing on the dairy industry. Since then, Heifer has expanded to include other livestock species and varied livelihood strategies to assist resource poor families in 6 of Cameroon’s 10 regions.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

Heifer Cameroon works in collaboration with other NGOs and state institutions like the Ministry of Livestock and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in order to reach even more of the resource-poor and vulnerable population.

Heifer Cameroon is Heifer’s oldest program in West Africa.They began their operations in 1974 and has assisted over 30,000 families.

In Context: Seasonal Eats

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Falguni Vyas

Photo by Ketowna09 courtesy of Creative Commons

No matter where you live, you can do your part to improve the food system (and your well-being in the process).

This video from www.eatrealeatlocal.ca illustrates what’s happening to the food system in Canada.

An easy way to pitch in and start fixing the problem is to eat local. When you eat local you eat with the seasons; you eat your fruits and vegetables the way they were meant to be eaten.

Benefits include:

Flavor: Fruits and veggies right after they’repicked during their growing season taste fresher and have a lot more flavor.

Environment: When grown in their ideal season,plants are naturally stronger and more resistant to pests and disease so thatthey require fewer pesticides and fertilizers

Nutrition: Certain fruits and vegetables canonly be grown during certain seasons. When you buy them off-season, you’relikely purchasing food that was picked weeks or months, earlier. Since producestarts to lose nutrients shortly after they have been picked meaning out ofseason has lower nutritional values.

And don’t forget,when you eat with the seasons, you keep wealth in your community.

While specific cropsand harvest dates vary by region, here is a sampling of fruits and veggies youcan expect to find at the market this spring.

Apricots
Asparagus
Beets
Cherries
Fava Beans
Greens
Lemons
Mint
Peas
Strawberries
Turnips

To find out what’s in store for you this spring, check out Locavore on iTunes. It’s an app that tells you what fruits and veggies are available in yourarea.

In Context: A Passion for Farming

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Falguni Vyas

Photo by Heifer Canada
Kalynn Spain and her horse

Kalynn Spain’s passion and enthusiasm for farming isirresistible. In 2009, her uncle helpedto set her farm plans in motion when he offered her space to farm on his landin Manitoba. But for Kalynn, her dreambegan much earlier. “As a kid, I alwayswanted to live in the country. All of mypaintings and drawings were pictures of horses, pigs, and farmyards. That’s where it all started,” Kalynn laughs.

In 2011, Kalynn registered for the Exploring Your Small FarmDream course, offered by the Manitoba Farm Mentorship Program. The course helps aspiring farmers decide ifrunning a farm business is right for them. When asked how it has helped her, Kalynn says, “One thing that reallystuck out for me was quality of life. You need to take care of yourself so you can take care of your land,your animals, and your family.” Thecourse confirmed for Kalynn that farming is her future and inspired her tobegin acquiring start-up resources and gathering people around her to help herfulfill her dream.

After completing the Exploring Your Small Farm Dream course,Kalynn was provided with an internship opportunity through the Manitoba FarmMentorship Program. This initiativeconnects aspiring farmers with experienced mentors and contributes to costsassociated with farmer training. Inreturn for the training she received through the Manitoba Farm MentorshipProgram, Kalynn passed on the gift by interning for 13 weeks on two mentorfarms. The internship helped hone herskills and further develop her farm plans. “I see my farm being very mixed,” Kalynn says about her farm dream, “Isee vegetables. I see chickens and pigsfor sure… After spending a summer on acattle farm, I’m not sure about having cattle, but it’s good that theexperience showed me that early on.”

The Manitoba Farm Mentorship Program is a Heifer Canadaproject that provides training, networking, and resources for new and aspiringfarmers in Manitoba. Kalynn is one of 16interns, 30 Explorer course participants, and over 750 people who have attendedManitoba Farm Mentorship Program courses, workshops, farm tours and othertraining events.

Kalynn’s involvement in the Manitoba Farm Mentorship Programhas only increased her passion for growing and raising food. “It’s changed from a romantic dream tofeeling that it’s something young people should be doing. It will make me happy. I will be contributing to society andimpacting people’s lives.”

“I want to be a role model,” Kalynn says. “I think we need to engage more youngpeople. My generation needs to considerfarming as a career, consider its impact, and realize they can actually doit.”

In Context: A Spotlight on Poverty in Canada

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Falguni Vyas

Photo by Darcy Kiefel, courtesy of Heifer International

Canada has seen some noticeable economic improvements in thelast ten years; however:

1 in 10 Canadians live in poverty
1 in 3 Canadian adults that work full-time do not makeenough money to sustain themselves and their families with a healthy lifestyle

Canada measures poverty in relative terms and does not havean official poverty line. Canadian poverty statistics are calculated byCanada’s Low Income Cut-Offs (LICOs), which is calculated by comparing thepercentage of income individuals and families spend on basic needs with otherCanadians.

Many blame unemployment as the “big, bad” reason for povertyin Canada and other developed countries, but that’s not always the case. As amatter of fact, the Canadian unemployment rate is in decline. An overlooked andunderlying factor of poverty in many of the world’s wealthy, industrializedcountries is income inequality, which is the extent to which income is unevenly distributed in one country.

In 2008, for everydollar the average Canadian family in the poorest 10% of the population had, Canadianfamilies in the richest 10% of the population had 13 times as much.

When income inequality in a country is high, it reflects onhow a country uses its resources. The higher the income inequality in acountry, the slower the economic growth, usually begging the question: “Is thecountry utilizing its citizenship’s skills and capabilities to the fullestextent?”

Measured by the Gini Index (which calculates how far incomedistribution among individuals in a country deviates from an exactly equaldistribution), income inequality in Canada has increased more over the last 20years than in any other country with similar income per capita.

Nearly 400,000 full-time, Canadian adult employees earn lessthan $10 an hour, drawing them and their families deeper into the cycle ofpoverty. And with poverty comes poor health— The World Health Organizationhas named poverty as being the single largest determinant of health.

The majority of theworking-poor cannot afford secure and affordable housing and healthy (or inmany instances an adequate amount of) food
Parents on limitedincome often skip meals so their children have an adequate diet
Limited food budgetsand lack of access to fresh food often results in Type 2 diabetes—which wasformerly seen in adults only, but is now increasing in children

And perhaps one of the scarier statistics to surface:

According to a studyconducted by McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ontario, there is a 21-yeardifference in life expectancy between the poorest neighborhood and thewealthiest neighborhood

Research by Poverty is Making Us Sick show that if annualincome were increased by $1,000 a year to the poorest 20% of Canadians, it wouldlead to as many as 10,000 fewer chronic conditions and 6,600 fewer disabilitydays every two weeks.

So, while poverty in Canada doesn’t look like poverty inunindustrialized nations, it exists nonetheless. The difficult decisions familiesmust make (pay rent or buy food) are the same, contributing to a decline inquality of life and degrading the emotional and physical health of a nation.

Photo by Darcy Kiefel courtesy of Heifer International

You can help make a difference and learn more about howHeifer Canada is helping at www.heifercanada.org.

In Context: Canada

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Falguni Vyas

Population: 34 million

Native Greeting: Quanuq itpin? (Inuvialuliktum for How areyou?)

Capital: Ottawa

Official language: English and French

Local currency: Canadian dollar

Overview

Canada is the second largest country in the world but thelargest to border only one other country. With the continental United States tothe south, Canada is located in northern North America with the North Atlanticon the east, North Pacific on the west and the Arctic Ocean on the north.

Photo by alexindigo courtesy of Creative Commons

90% of the 34 million people that live there live within 100 miles of the US border where the climate is mostly temperate. Canada reachesarctic and sub-arctic temperature in the north. In the west, the landscape ismostly plains and mountains with lowlands in the south.

Despite Canada being ranked #6 on the Human Development Index, the country has an alarmingly high rate of povertyand homelessness, nearly 16% of Canadians live in poverty and over 3 millionpeople live in food insecure households.

Among the poor, the indigenous populations in particular are at high-riskof malnutrition and hunger due to wage disparity in urban centers coupled withrising unemployment rates, high cost of nutritious food on reservations andlack of education.

Did you know…

A basket of healthy food costs twice as much in the norththan in the south.
Nearly half of the aboriginal population living in majorCanadian cities live in poverty.
In 2001, only 8% of the 25-34age group of Aboriginal peoples had a completed university degree, while 28% ofall Canadians did.
Rural farmers are athigh risk of losing their land and livelihoods to largecorporations.

Heifer’s approach in Canada

A growing interest in organic farming and eating local provides a positive opportunity for change.

The Heifer Canada approach has grown and evolved over the years and projects nowspan three primary areas of focus: family farm preservation, First Nationsagriculture, and urban and rural community food security.

The foundationof Heifer’s efforts in Canada has always been the partnerships it establisheswith those in genuine need. This, combined with the rapid decline of farmersacross the country demands a continued strong presence of Heifer’s work inCanada. Heifer Canada began in 1980. They currently have 17 projectsand have assisted more than 2,000 families to date.

Livestock portfolio: Apiaries (bees), chickens, worms, cows,horses, pigs, turkeys, fruit trees and vegetable seeds

Issues addressed: Poverty among the indigenous and urbancommunities, land preservation, loss of biodiversity and environmentaldegradation.

In Context: Local Eats

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Falguni Vyas

Most of the time, eating local is the way to go. Besides theobvious benefits, like boosting the local economy, it just plain tastes better.Produce is fresher and we get to eat with the seasons—tasting fruits andveggies at their peak. In Cambodia, much of the cuisine is focused on locallygrown, locally produced foods.

The Cambodian diet consists of mainly rice and fish although noodles are also popular. Rice, which contributes about 68% of daily caloric intake, is a component of nearly every meal and an essential ingredient in many desserts.

Fish makes up 70% of the protein in the Cambodian diet. In fact, fish is so vital to Cambodian culture that the national currency, the riel, is named after a small silver carp that is a dietary staple for many Cambodians.

The popular breakfast dish Num Bahn Choc or Cambodian Morning Soup varies in taste according to region and season. This noodle dish is a great example of eating local. Thebasic ingredients to this soupy, rice-y noodle dish are the same: fermentedfish paste, rice and noodles. The rest of the ingredients however, are a combination ofherbs, vegetables and greens available at that morning’s market.

A farmer’s market in Cambodia

A Peek Inside the Pantry

Mint, coriander and lemongrass traditionally flavor fish,rice and noodles but a true Cambodian meal also includes:

Prahok, a fermented fish paste, which is used in a varietyof ways and is found in nearly every dish.

Kroeung is a spice paste made up of star anise, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and turmeric.

Morning Glory (also known as swamp cabbage or water spinach)is used as a vegetable but is actually an herb. Grows in marshy areas. Tasteslike spinach.

Cooked Morning Glory
Photo by Andy Wright, courtesy of Creative Commons

Kabocha or “Cambodian Pumpkin” is a winter squash, broughtto Cambodia by the Japanese in the 1500s. It’s sweeter than butternut squashwith a texture that’s a cross between pumpkin and sweet potato.

Kabocha
Photo by The Unseasoned Wok, courtesy of Creative Commons

Slek Bas or Vine vegetable/Ivy gourd is a leafy green looks like a lot like Morning Glory but tastes like a mix of spinach and watercress.

In Context: Out of the Woods

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Falguni Vyas

Translated by: Prak Somathy, Communication and Networking Manager, Heifer Cambodia

Photo by Chen Dara courtesy of Heifer International

Mrs. Deng Sou, 48, and her husband Bou Samet, 50, live withtheir five children in Thmei village, Kampong Sela district, Preah Sihanoukprovince, Cambodia. Before becoming a project participant in the Heifer funded Women’s Empowerment and Migration Reduction Project, in partnership withRural Children Saving Association (RCSA), Sou’s family depended solely onincome brought in from forestry and wildlife.

This job faced many risks including malaria. Sometimes, herhusband and son had to escape from home to avoid from being arrested by a WildlifeConservation team as poaching wildlife is illegal.

“One day, when my husband and son were in the forest cuttingtrees and trapping wildlife, villagers told me that a man had died because a treehad fallen down on him,” Sou recalled. “I was very panicked, afraid that itmight be my husband or my son. However, my anxiety disappeared when I knew thatboth of them were safe. Thank God!”

In 2010, RCSA introduced the Heifer project in the village andher family decided to join a self-help group of 21 families. Sou ’s familyreceived two piglets, three chickens, and vegetable seeds as a tool to improvetheir food security and income generation. She attended both technical andnon-technical trainings, including the 12 Cornerstones training. She is excitedto apply the simple techniques that she has learned from the trainings relatedto animal husbandry and management to develop their unused land for plantingvegetables, raising fish in their pond and applying a poultry bio-securitysystem.

Photo by Kheang Sokleng courtesy of Heifer International

As a result, her family saved enough money to buy a sow forreproductive purposes only.

Today, their sow has given birth to 10 piglets,which have been sold. Aside from the pigs, her family also has five hens, 20 chickens,and seven ducks. The family no longer spends money to buy vegetables, fish andmeat as they produce their own. Sou’s family has better nutrition and ishealthier and they no longer work in forestry or wildlife poaching.

Photo by Sok Nom courtesy of Heifer International

“Now, we have a stable job on our farm. Since joining theSHG, we no longer enter the jungle to cut trees and poach wildlife,” said Sou.“We have applied skills and experiences learned from the trainings to raiseanimals and develop our home garden and vegetable productions. The outcome fromhas allowed us to afford scholastic materials for our children. Thanks toHeifer and RCSA for your generous support.”

In Context: A Spotlight on the Poverty Threshold

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Falguni Vyas

http://www.farmingfirst.org/green-economy/?open=3#growth

One third of the world’s population lives on less than $1.25a day. It’s an oft-mentioned stat that’s hard to argue with. Poverty ismeasured by the poverty threshold, also known as the poverty line, which is theabsolute minimum level of income considered sufficient for an individual tosurvive on in any given country.

There are varying degrees of poverty. The World Bank, aninternational standard, defines it in absolute terms and extreme poverty isdefined as living on less than $1.25 a day. In the past the poverty line wasdefined as living on less than a $1 a day but was recalibrated to $1.25 a dayin 2008.These calculations are made yearly and are done so by taking into account allthe essential resources the average adult consumes in one year.

The World Bank uses purchasing power parity (PPP) to measureand update the poverty threshold. In a nutshell, PPP is the amount needed ofone country’s currency to buy the same amount of goods and services in thatcountry as one U.S. dollar would buy in the US. So when you hear that oneperson is living on less than $1.25 a day it means that they are living on the equivalent of what a $1.25 would buy youin the US, not what it buys you in their native country.

Working towards a world without poverty takes time and commitment but is not impossible. In 2000, 189 countries pledged to eradicate poverty and hunger in the world by 2015. This pledge is known as the Millenium Development Goals.

Photo courtesy of UNDP

According to the Millenium Development Goals:

The number of people living under the international poverty line of $1.25 a day declined from 1.8 billion to 1.4 billion between 1990 and 2005.
The proportion of people living in extreme poverty in developing regions dropped from 46 per cent to 27 per cent — on track to meet the target globally.
The economic crisis is expected to push an estimated 64 million more people into extreme poverty in 2010.
About one in four children under the age of five is underweight in the developing world, down from almost one in three in 1990.

Sadly, it’s going to take a few more years to bring the population living in extreme poverty down to zero. Even though the UN’s Millennium Development Goals are on track, by 2015, about 920 million people will still be living under the poverty line.

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