solutions to hunger

How We Work

“We don’t just ask why. We find solutions to hunger that transform and last.”

The Problem

Our global food systems must change. Current food systems value profits over people. Far too many people go hungry as a result of unjust systems and structures that limit access to food and other crucial resources. Short-term interventions like food banks and soup kitchens are critical to meeting the immediate needs of people experiencing hunger now, but long-term solutions that address underlying root causes are required to nourish everyone.

Our Vision

Imagine a world without hunger, where all people have access to nutritious food. We envision a world where all communities can nourish themselves in ways that respect people and the environment. We strive for socially and economically just and abundant food systems that benefit everyone and actively combat the effects of climate change. To build social justice, WhyHunger works to address the root causes of hunger, such as poverty, racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression and structural inequities that create disproportionate barriers to food and land access for communities.

HOW WE’LL GET THERE

WhyHunger supports communities in taking control of their own food systems and ending hunger. We partner primarily with historically marginalized communities, including Black, Indigenous, and communities of color, as well as rural communities, recognizing that the people most impacted by hunger are best equipped to solve it. WhyHunger provides funding, training, and other resources to grassroots organizations and social movements across the United States and 23 countries, championing local control of food access from seed to market to plate.

Let’s break down what this looks like a bit more.

GROWING GRASSROOTS POWER

We support solutions and the local experts who are best equipped to create lasting access to nutritious food. Funding and advancing movements led by those most impacted is the only way to successfully rebuild our food systems. We build relationships based on trust and flexible support. We listen to what communities need, invest in their solutions, amplify their stories, and respond quickly when disaster strikes. This means investing in community gatherings and strategy development, worker rights, and education that unites scientific practices with Indigenous knowledge to produce food so everyone can choose what goes on their table and how it is produced.

SUPPORTING MOVEMENTS

We build global solidarity through advocacy, shared learning, and power-building. We convene a powerful network of partners united in a common vision for ending hunger and working at its intersections with justice. We collaborate with small-scale farmers, community leaders, and organizations in 24 countries worldwide to press for policies that advance food justice. We support artists in taking action and mobilize resources to further democratic participation, grassroots organizing, and movement building.

AMPLIFYING COMMUNITY VOICES

Our partners are changing the narrative about hunger. We use connection and the power of storytelling to uplift the experiences of our partners and allies who are changing the narrative around hunger and its solutions. These narrative change strategies help to create the social, political, and cultural conditions needed for movements and organizing efforts to succeed.

ADVOCATING FOR THE RIGHT TO FOOD & JUSTICE OVER CHARITY

Framing the solution to hunger as a human right to adequate food and nutrition serves as a catalyst for systemic change and holds governments and institutions accountable when they fail to respect, protect, and fulfill the right to food for all. As a member of the Global Network on the Right to Food, we work to protect the right to food by acting in solidarity with social movements all over the world.

In the U.S., where the right to food is not legally recognized, we use a rights-based framework as a tool to advocate. We define the right to food as: food that is physically and economically accessible; nutritionally adequate to ensure optimal health; available through dignified means, including access to resources for food production; and environmentally sustainable in how it’s produced and consumed.

WhyHunger helps to steward the Closing the Hunger Gap Network (CTHG), the national alliance of emergency food providers working to shift from charity to justice. We support traditional food charity organizations and community leaders across the U.S. as they shift strategies and operations toward addressing the root causes of hunger, remaking the emergency feeding system and changing the narrative of how to end hunger.

SCALING OUT AGROECOLOGY

Agriculture is led by the wisdom of those who work the land and waters, and unites science with Indigenous knowledge. This form of agriculture, called agroecology, is a way for communities to build independence from the industrial food system, protect access to land and resources, and advocate for policies that support sustainable production. Agroecology is a way of life practiced worldwide and is proven to reduce hunger, create economic stability, cool the planet, and strengthen democratic engagement. We’re building a future with more agroecology schools and farmer-to-farmer training.

OUR IMPACT

We reshape our food systems by supporting grassroots initiatives uprooting injustice. In nearly five decades of innovation and evolution, we’ve invested in community-led solutions to protect the human right to food and equip people to nourish themselves. Our global grassroots partners and programs have increased agroecological food production around the world, uniting scientific practices with Indigenous knowledge. We’ve also helped connect millions of people in immediate need to nutritious food and supported food banks and soup kitchens in shifting strategies and operations to address the root causes of hunger. Learn more in our latest report.

WHY WE NEED YOU

Together, we can build a world without hunger. The mounting climate crisis, increasingly harmful corporate practices, and persistent social injustices require a unified response from all of us. Join our community of organizations, funders, artists, and supporters committed to uprooting hunger.

Stay Connected and Get Involved.

Together and with the leadership of our grassroots partners, we can build just food systems that nourish all people and the environment.

WANT TO LEARN MORE?