Changing the Farming Landscape

Ato Admasu's life was as barren as his fields before he met Food for the Hungry.

“We had farmland but lacked knowledge,” says Admasu. As a result, he often couldn’t feed his family on the meager yield of his crops. His heart broke each time he looked at his malnourished children. And because he couldn’t offer them more, he felt hopeless about their future.

Food for the Hungry taught Admasu irrigation methods and diversification techniques that previously were unpracticed in his community. As Admasu's production increased, he was eager to learn more. He soon became a “model farmer” and began sharing what he had learned with other farmers in his community.

Today, Admasu's fields yield enough vegetable crops to not only adequately feed his family but also to sell at the market. He recently purchased modern beehives. In time, the bees will produce enough honey for him to sell.

This additional income will make it possible for his family to be healthier and stronger, and it will mean a better education for his children. That education could break the cycle of poverty that entraps so many Ethiopian families.

“Food for the Hungry is an agent from God for my family and has helped open my eyes,” says Admasu.

What We Do

Agriculture & Environment: Training in agronomic practices, micro-irrigation, animal health, fruit and coffee production, environmental protection, natural resource management.

Child Development & Education: Social development, child health, education support program.

Health & Nutrition: Micro-nutrient interventions, nutritional supplementation, dietary diversification, disease control training.

HIV/AIDS: HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness education.

Water & Sanitation: Building of hand-dug and shallow wells, springs, and roof catchments, potable water supply schemes, cattle troughs, latrines, and hygiene promotion.

Food for the Hungry began working in Ethiopia in 1984 in response to a devastating famine, at first delivering emergency food through partner organizations. We began implementing our own relief and rehabilitation programs ten years later to reduce community susceptibility of recurring famine.

Ethiopia is a beautiful nation with a recorded history of over 3,000 years, only one brief period of government rule, and more than 80 spoken languages. Ethiopia’s beauty and rich history cannot ease the harshness of life for its people. The strong who survived famine in the 1980’s have a life expectancy of only 50 years because of the difficult living conditions, poor yielding farms, malaria, and HIV/AIDS.