Food First facts for kids
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| Founded | 1975 |
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| Founder |
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| Type | Think tank |
| Focus | Food Sovereignty, Sustainable Agriculture, Human Rights |
| Location | |
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Area served
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Global |
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Key people
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Frances Moore Lappé, co-founder, Eric Holt-Gimenez, Executive Director Emeritus |
| Award(s) | Right Livelihood Award |
Food First, also known as the Institute for Food and Development Policy, is a group based in Oakland, California, USA. It started in 1975. Its founders were Frances Moore Lappé and Joseph Collins. Food First calls itself a "people's think tank." A think tank is a group that does research and gives advice on important issues. Food First focuses on food and how it affects people.
The main goal of Food First is to stop the unfair reasons that cause hunger. They want to help people have "food sovereignty." This means people should have control over their own food systems. They believe everyone has a right to healthy food. Food First works to make sure farming is fair and good for the Earth.
Food First looks closely at how big organizations like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund affect food. They often disagree with their policies. They also study the "Green Revolution." This was a time in the 1970s when new farming methods were introduced. Food First believes these methods did not help as much as people hoped. They say these methods often cost a lot and do not always grow much more food than older ways.
Today, some ideas from the Green Revolution are coming back. This includes using genetically modified organisms (GMOs). GMOs are plants or animals whose genes have been changed. Food First believes these new ideas might make global unfairness even worse. They think the best way to have fair and good food systems is through local, sustainable farming. This means growing food in ways that protect the environment and support local communities.
In 1987, Food First won the Right Livelihood Award. This award is for groups that find solutions to big global problems. Food First received it for showing why people go hungry and how everyone can help.
Contents
How Food First Started and Works
Food First began in 1975. It was first called the Institute for Food and Development Policy (IFDP). It started in New York City. Later, it moved to San Francisco and then to Oakland, where it is now.
In 1977, the group published its first book. It was called Food First: Beyond the Myth of Scarcity. Since then, Food First has kept writing reports and studies. These reports look at the world's food system. They also show how this system can cause unfairness.
Today, a group of five people called the Board of Trustees manages Food First. These people have worked with many different non-profit groups. They all want to create a fairer way for economies to grow. They believe in supporting local and sustainable farming.
Food First also has six staff members. These people work on the group's reports and studies. They also get help from interns and volunteers. These helpers come from many different backgrounds. They all share the goal of Food First: to end global unfairness by changing how we think about food and money.
Food First's Programs and Ideas
Food First has three main programs. These programs help them reach their goals:
Tackling Unfairness in Food Systems
This program looks at how unfairness affects who gets healthy food. For example, in the United States, some studies found that poorer areas have fewer supermarkets. These areas also have less space for grocery stores. This means people in these areas might not have easy access to cheap, healthy foods. This can lead to health problems like diabetes.
Food First tries to fight this unfairness. They share information and studies. They help people learn and talk about these issues. They also help create groups of people in cities who want food security. By studying food problems in the U.S. and around the world, Food First wants to change how we see food access and economic growth.
Helping Farmers Gain Food Sovereignty
This program helps farmers take control of their food. Food First works with groups like The Campesino in Mexico and Central America. They also work with Via Campesina. These groups help farmers find other ways to farm that are not controlled by big companies. They help farmers teach each other new ideas.
Food First believes that farmers should have the power to decide about their own food. They think a big problem with the Green Revolution was that big organizations did not ask small farmers what they needed. Food First believes it is very important to give power to people who have been left out.
Giving Farmers a Voice
This program focuses on the main reasons for hunger and poverty. It supports groups that are against big food companies. It also supports groups that want food choices led by consumers. These choices should be fair, equal, and good for the environment.
Food First helps with projects like "No Full Tanks with Empty Bellies: The Food and Fuel Sovereignty Campaign." This project teaches people about the bad effects of bio-fuels. Bio-fuels are fuels made from plants. Food First's main role is to spread information. This information helps people learn, discuss, and make changes. Food problems, poverty, and hunger are all connected. Food First wants to bring people together to make a difference.
Food First believes that world hunger is not just because there is not enough food. They say that big food companies in rich countries actually make a lot of extra food. This extra food shows how unfair the world is. It hurts poorer countries.
Food First argues that hunger is not caused by not having enough food. In fact, they point to problems like people guessing on food prices. They also point to money put into big GMO farms that cost a lot. And they point to the bio-fuels market. By showing these ideas, Food First tries to bring new ways of thinking about global hunger.
Food First supports a "bottom-up" way to solve world hunger. This means they believe all countries can feed their own people. They think countries should focus on growing food for their own people to eat. This is called subsistence farming. They think this is better than growing food just to sell to other countries.
Food First strongly disagrees with the policies of groups like the World Trade Organization, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund. They see these groups as supporting "free market" ideas. As of 2004, Food First was active in a campaign against a plan called the Free Trade Area of the Americas.
See also
In Spanish: Food First para niños
- Walden Bello
- Eric Holt Giménez
- Pat Mooney
- Right Livelihood Award
- Food security
