Books For Africa Launches a New Agriculture, Natural Resource, and Vocational Skills Initiative
Books For Africa Launches a New Agriculture, Natural Resource, and Vocational Skills Initiative
Books For Africa has a simple name and a simple mission: to end the book famine in Africa. Books are the foundation of a strong education, and education is the key to development.
Books For Africa is proud to send books that address a real need in Africa: agricultural development.
Why Agriculture?
Hunger is the #1 health risk in the world (World Food Programme).
The world’s population passed seven billion in early 2012. Feeding the world depends on efficient food and agricultural systems. Farmers will need to know the best farming practices for their environment to produce food to earn a decent living and feed the world.
There is real hunger in Africa.
More than 239 million people go to bed hungry each night in Africa (World Food Programme).
Hunger affects future generations.
When pregnant mothers are malnourished their children are born at a disadvantage, inhibiting school and work performance later in life. 17 million children are born underweight every year because their mothers do not have enough food (World Food Programme).
32 million children in Africa are underweight and malnourished (United Nations Children’s Fund).
Rural populations face the greatest hunger.
Without the bustle of cities, there are few job alternatives and little access to food if it is not grown in rural communities.
¾ of all hungry people in the world live in rural areas (World Food Programme).
Over 70 percent of the African population lives in rural areas (World Bank).
The majority of Africans depend on farming for food and wealth.
73 percent of people living in rural Sub-Saharan Africa are farmers (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization).
Agricultural production makes up 21 percent of the continent’s GDP (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization).
Global food prices are on the rise.
It is more expensive than ever for poor communities to import food. Sugar, oil, and cereal prices are rapidly increasing. Grain prices alone have nearly doubled since 2007 (Foreign Policy).
Books For Africa agrees with the international community: hunger must be a priority in development.
Several United Nations organizations are charged with the goal of addressing world hunger, including the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Books For Africa understands the importance of strong education systems to achieve the first United Nations Millennium Development Goal—eradicate poverty and world hunger.