Local solutions to combat hunger

To mark World Food Day today, Germany’s Development Ministry (BMZ) is highlighting the importance of local solutions in the battle against global hunger. Free school meals are one example, as they often have a positive impact on the development of entire village communities. The BMZ’s commitment in this area is now to be further stepped up: Development Minister Svenja Schulze has pledged an additional 22 million euros to the World Food Programme (WFP) to provide free school meals in Sierra Leone and Laos.

“The best solutions in the fight against hunger are those created at the local level,” says Schulze. “Local, climate-adapted and sustainable agriculture is the best protection against the fluctuations of the global market, which repeatedly force millions of people into hunger.” Free school meals are one key to positive local developments and can transform food and agricultural systems as a whole.”