The Last Famine - ActionAid

	Thousands of people face starvation due to prolonged drought in East Africa. Help us make this the last famine the world will ever know. Send a message to the Australian Government calling for more support for women farmers to grow their own food today so they don’t need to rely on handouts tomorrow.
NAME
Email	Invalid email format.
post code	Numbers only	KEEP ME POSTED
		I'd like ActionAid to update me on its work and the success of this campaign Read our privacy policy
	Below is the message that will be sent to Australia's Prime Minister on your behalf. You can send as is, or write your own.
subject
message	Dear Prime Minister, In today's world, there is no reason anyone should have to starve to death. Yet in East Africa 750,000 people are on the brink of starvation due to a prolonged drought. But if the governments in these countries, supported by aid donors like Australia, had taken action earlier and given farmers, particularly women farmers, the support they needed to boost agricultural output and adjust to changing weather patterns, thousands of lives could have been saved. In fact, supporting farmers to boost their own food output is significantly cheaper than responding with emergency aid once crisis strikes. Figures from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation show every dollar invested in agriculture this year saves $10 in humanitarian aid next year. If we are to stop hunger spiralling out of control and make this the last famine the world ever experiences we need governments like Australia to increase their support for the small scale farmers who produce the majority of the food in developing countries. The Australian government has a unique opportunity to show true leadership by increasing the portion of our aid that goes to supporting women farmers to grow their own food today, so they don't need to rely on handouts tomorrow. That's why I'm asking you to lead by example by targeting Australia's agricultural aid dollars where they can make the most difference - supporting small scale women farmers. Here are three simple things you and your government can do: 1. Be a champion for women farmers on the international stage. When the CHOGM leaders meet in Perth in October and the G20 world leaders meet this November in France, to tell the world what they will do to help fix the struggling food system, I want you to be the voice for small scale women farmers who have been ignored for too long. 2. Pledge more money to women friendly agriculture funds like the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP). ActionAid has seen the great work that has been done with GAFSP to help small scale women farmers. Please show Australia's support by contributing at least another $50 million to this fund. 3. Target our agricultural research funding at small scale women farmers. We know Australia does great work through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) on agricultural research for low-income countries, but where are the research projects designed for, and with, small scale women farmers? You can deliver much needed productivity boosts for these women by tailoring Australian research to them. if we're going to write to the prime Minister let's make it a little more substantial than that shall we? Your name will be added to the bottom of your message automagically.

ABOUT
HOME

Leya, 47, beneficiary of ActioAid project community based farming group, Katirinyo II village, Palis destrict, Uganda Photo: James Akena/ ActionAid

THE CAMPAIGN

The Last Famine campaign encourages the Australian Government to become a leader in agricultural aid by supporting farmers working on small plots of land in developing countries to increase their yields using sustainable farming techniques.

Smallholder farmers, the majority of whom are women, produce close to half the world's food, but have been systematically ignored by aid donors and their own governments. As a result, close to three quarters of those going hungry in the world are actually smallholder farmers and rural landless people.

AN OPPORTUNITY

A growing body of research shows investment in agriculture makes twice the impact on poverty as growth in other sectors and an African woman with the same access to land and inputs, produces 20 percent more food than their male counterparts.

Australia has a unique opportunity to show leadership and push support for smallholder women farmers past the tipping point. Prime Minister Julia Gillard has already stated her desire for Australia to show leadership in agricultural aid. Australia was one of only a handful of countries to commit new money to the L'Aquila food security initiative and is a contributor to the innovative Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme.

And as a member of the G20 grouping of nations, Australia has a seat at the table of an increasingly influential decision making body on aid and development.

YOUR SUPPORT

We need your support to help push the Government into action and put its money where its mouth is. It's not enough that the Government responds with millions of dollars every time a drought spirals into a food crisis. We need to act now to make this the last famine the world will ever know.

Tell the Australian government you want it to tackle the underlying causes of famine, not just its effects. Send a message to the Prime Minister right now.

Ayan, 7 near her village of Kalankal, Kenya
Photo: Siegfried Modalo/Shoot the Earth/ActionAid

THE LAST FAMINE EVER?

In today's world, there's no reason anyone should starve to death. Yet in East Africa 750,000 people are on the brink of starvation due to a prolonged drought.

Had the smallholder farmers in these countries, most of whom are women, received the support they needed to boost their crop yields and adapt to changing weather patterns, thousands of lives could have been saved. In fact, research shows every dollar invested in agriculture this year saves $10 in humanitarian aid next year.

Australia is a leader in agricultural aid and can use its position to show other governments what can be achieved when aid is spent wisely.

Send a message to the Prime Minister calling on the Australian Government to support smallholder farmers to grow their own food today so they don't need to rely on handouts tomorrow.

this is the privacy text