Samson Kambalu is a Malawian conceptual artist, writer and academic, whose sculpture Antelope was installed on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square in London in September 2022. The Fourth Plinth was originally designed for a large scale equestrian statue of a British monarch but is now reserved for a contemporary sculpture, chosen every two years. This is is the most significant public sculpture award in the UK. Antelope is a bronze sculpture depicting two figures: John Chilembwe, a Baptist preacher and Pan-Africanist who in 1915 led the first uprising against the British occupation and colonial rule of Malawi (then Nyasaland), and his friend, a British missionary named John Chorley. Its sheer scale and subject matter provide a powerful counterpoint to the imperial iconography of Trafalgar Square. Historian Susan Williams discusses the work with Kambalu.
How did you arrive at the choice of Chilembwe?
Chilembwe’s photograph from 1914 chose me. When I moved to Oxford to pick up a professorship at Ruskin School of Art, the first thing I did was to visit Weston Library, where British colonial bureaucrats deposited documentation of their lives in the colonies. The Malawi-related archives produced the mysterious photograph of Reverend John Chilembwe, of Providence Industrial Mission, wearing a white hat, standing next to a white man, John Chorley, of Zambezi Industrial Mission.
I had wondered why Reverend Chilembwe drew attention to his hat. He is wearing it sideways for effect. It turns out that Africans were forbidden to wear hats in the presence of white people during colonial times, and Chilembwe had created this photograph at the opening of his church as an act of defiance, with support from his friend. Africans were also forbidden to run a mission. Chilembwe would be killed months later, in an uprising against colonial injustices.
When the London Mayor’s office got in touch asking me to propose for the Fourth Plinth, I had the photograph as wallpaper on my phone. I immediately decided that I would propose a work based on the photograph. For me, it is his killing by colonial police months later that dictated the final look of the sculpture. Chilembwe looms over his white friend like a ghost.
Why is it called Antelope?
Chilembwe’s name means “antelope”. It alludes not only to the animal, but also to the Chewa principal mask, Kasiya Maliro, a womb disguised as an antelope. For the Chewa people of Malawi, it’s a symbol of radical generosity. Chilembwe’s photograph very much recalls aspects of Nyau masking, a Chewa secret society marked by prodigious gift giving through play, the Gule Wamkulu. Often transgressive, their purpose is to speak truth to power. Chilembwe hangs on to his African heritage even as he steps forward as a modern Malawian.
Malawi society, where I’m from, is heavily inspired by masking, and Nyau masking is all about critical thinking. When the masks come out from their secretive workshops (or dambwes) in the ancestral graveyards, received knowledge is questioned in unorthodox performances and prodigious gifts, opening up new ways of looking at the world.
Antelope shares Trafalgar Square with other statues which celebrate Britain’s imperial and military conquests, such as Nelson’s Column. The iconography of Antelope might be anti-imperialist, but it is also very much a piece of British history.
What remains of Chilembwe’s memory?
Chilembwe features on Malawi’s banknotes and he is remembered in a public holiday every year on 15 January – Chilembwe Day. But as I grew up in Malawi, the then President for Life, Hastings Kamuzu Banda, rendered Chilembwe as a peripheral figure in the fight for Malawi’s independence.
A revisiting of Chilembwe during the research for this sculpture revealed to me a man who was much more critical to the birth of Malawi as a nation. He was the first Malawian to resist colonial rule beyond tribal lines.
Why does this work of art matter today?
The statue will remain on the Fourth Plinth for two years. After that I think it would look good at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC. Chilembwe was sponsored by many black churches in America, and taking this sculpture to America after its stay on Trafalgar Square would be Chilembwe returning the gift of liberty, freedom, to the American people. I’d like a copy too in Malawi, and another copy in Britain, and in Europe.
Chilembwe, who trained as a Baptist minister in the US before returning to Nyasaland in 1901, is believed to have influenced Pan-Africanists such as Marcus Garvey. But whereas they are widely known, Chilembwe has remained an obscure figure outside Malawi. I think Antelope will change this.
I hope we can now begin to detail the African colonial experience beyond generalisations of African or black.
Women receive food rations at a food distribution site in Herat, Afghanistan. Credit: UNICEF/Sayed Bidel
NEW YORK, Jan 12 2023 (IPS) – Can you imagine what it would be like if women were simply not allowed to step outside of their homes, let alone to work for a living? When women choose to do so, and they can afford it, then it is a matter of choice. When women mostly cannot, as is the case in Afghanistan now, not only is half the population imprisoned, but children go hungry, and communities sink deeper into poverty.
World Bank data (as incomplete as it is), indicates that the average number of female-headed households (i.e. households where women are the primary – if not the only – breadwinners), is around 25%.
What that means is, that on average, a quarter of all households around the world depend on women earning an income. Children, families, communities, and nations –depend on women’s work, to the tune of a quarter of their labour force.
Economists are still pointing to the obvious challenges of counting female labour, which often lies disproportionately on the frontiers of the formal economy, such that women continue to serve as reserve armies of labour and frontline workers during industrialization.
Economists who work to document these specificities, also point out that as soon as these frontiers expand or change, women are expelled or relegated to the shadows of the informal economy and piece-rate labour, identifying this as an all too frequent failure to recognize the importance of the kind of work many women engage in, which both keeps an economy running, and enables its expansion and growth.
The Covid-19 Pandemic should have resulted in a clear realisation that all hands are necessary on deck, with so many women actually needed as first responders–the backbone of the public health crisis – everywhere in the world.
As economies take a nosedive and the realities of recession hit many of us, all economies need to be kept running, if not to expand and grow.
And beyond these very real challenges to counting women’s work – and making that work count – there is another very critical reality: culture. Lest we think only of the vagaries of women who take over “men’s jobs” (whatever that means in today’s world), we need to stop being blind to the fact that women are needed to serve other women.
In fact, in many parts of the world, including the supposedly liberal and ‘egalitarian’ Western world, many women still prefer to receive life-saving direct services from other women – in public health, in sanitation, in all levels of education, in nutritional spaces, and many, many others.
Now let us pause a moment and consider humanitarian disaster zones, where women and girls often need to be cared for – and this can only be done by and through other women.
Then let us envision a reality one step further – let’s call it a socially conservative country, which is facing humanitarian disaster, and is heavily dependent on international organisations (governmental and non- governmental) for the necessary humanitarian support.
How is it conceivable that in such a context, women can be excluded from serving? And yet this is precisely what the Taliban have decreed on December 24, when it barred women from working in national and international NGOs. And this is after they banned women from higher education.
Many international NGOs halted their work in Afghanistan, explaining that they cannot work without their women staff – as a matter of principle, but also as a question of practical necessity. Yet, the United Nations – the premier multilateral entity – continues to see how they could compromise with the Taliban rule, for the sake of ‘the greater good – real humanitarian needs’.
Thank goodness they are letting the UN continue to work with their women employees, runs one way of thinking. We will not fail to deliver humanitarian needs, runs another UN way of thinking.
Of course, humanitarian needs are essential to human survival – and thus, should never be held hostage. But why is the United Nations being accountable for humanitarian needs only?
Meanwhile, the Taliban claim that these edicts about womens’ work and education are a matter of religious propriety, a claim which, as of this moment, is not strongly challenged by another multilateral entity – the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), encompassing 56 governments and members of the United Nations.
While individual governments have spoken out, this multilateral entity has remained relatively silent on the Islamic justice of such a decree. Is it because this multilateral religious entity sees no need to speak to humanitarian needs?
Or is it because it sees no value to hard economic realities where women’s agency plays a central role? Or perhaps it is because there is no unanimity on the Islamic justification behind such decrees?
Multilateralism is supposed to be the guarantor of all human rights and dignity, for all people, at all times. But as governmental regimes weaken, so do traditional multilateral entities heavily reliant on those governments. Time for community based transnational networks based on intergenerational, multicultural, gender sensitive leaders.
Rev Dr Chloe Bryer is Executive Director, Interfaith Center of New York; Prof Azza Karam is Secretary General, Religions for Peace; Ruth Messinger is Social Justice Consultant, Jewish Theological Seminary; and Negina Yari is Country Director, Afghans4Tomorrow
The U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit held in Washington has placed African-American diaspora at the core for strengthening multifaceted relations with Africa. The White House and African leaders have also stressed the importance of Africa’s voices, advocated for incorporating professional Africans distinctively within the institutional structures to deal with various bilateral issues and for making further inroads into Africa.
Over the years, African leaders have been engaging with their diaspora, especially those excelling in sports, academia, business, science, technology, engineering and other significant fields that the continent needs to optimize its diverse potentials and to meet development priorities. These professionals primarily leverage into various sectors, act as bridges between the United States and Africa.
As explicitly reiterated at the mid-December African leaders’ gathering, the overarching message was to focus on “deepening and expanding the long-term U.S.-Africa partnership and advancing shared priorities, amplifying African voices to collaboratively meet this era’s defining challenges.”
Corporate Council on Africa is the leading U.S. business association focused on connecting business interests between the United States and Africa. The United States has helped close more than 800 two-way trade and investment deals across 47 African countries for a total estimated value of over $18 billion, and the American private sector has closed investment deals in the continent valued at $8.6 billion since 2021, the White House said.
The United States is not only the undisputed leader of the free world, but also home to the most dynamic African diaspora. The African diaspora ranks amongst the most educated immigrant group and is found excelling and making invaluable contributions in all sectors of life-business, medicine, healthcare, engineering, transportation and more. The contribution of the African diaspora is not negligible, we see more of them appointed to senior government positions by President Biden like Wally Adeyemo, US Deputy Treasury Secretary, and Dr John Nkengasong Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Health Diplomacy.
Beyond engagement with Biden administration, African leaders express the vision, dynamism and humility to engage with their diaspora. They are excelling in sports, academia, business, science, technology, engineering and all those other sectors that the continent needs to beef up to optimize its potential and meet development priorities. In addition, it is in Africa’s high interest to embrace them.
Since its inception more than two decades ago, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has offered Africans the opportunity to engage and establish business networks from Africa to the United States and vice versa. It has been one surest way working towards an integrated relations, and in uplifting relations unto a higher appreciable stage.
Speaking at a U.S. Export-Import Bank conference, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai told the gathering there that they needed more investment in addition to market access. The duty-free access for nearly 40 African countries has boosted development, fostered more equitable and sustainable growth in Africa.
The AGOA offered promise as a “stepping stone to address regional and global challenges,” especially with Africa’s young and entrepreneurial population. The future is Africa, and engaging with this continent is the key to prosperity for all of us,” Tai said.
According to World Bank Statistics, remittance inflows to sub-Saharan Africa soared 14.1 percent to $49 billion in 2021 following an 8.1 percent decline in the previous year due coronavirus pandemic. Beyond remittances, Africa stands to benefit largely from the input of its diaspora considered as progressive in the United States.
Welcoming African entrepreneurs, Africa-American and African leaders for a reception, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was guided by the principle of close overwhelming partnership with Africa.
“We can’t solve any of the really big challenges we face if we don’t work together. So it’s about what we can do with African nations and its people,” Blinken said. “We welcome all other members of the international community, including the United States, to join us in the global efforts to help Africa.”
In featuring prominently integrative aspects and cultural familiarity within the African diaspora, New York Mayor Eric Adams said that the success of African Americans showed the need for Africans to “walk differently.”
On disapora came Greg Meeks, the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The main strategy was rooted in one key word – partnership – and in recognition of shared priorities and working together. There were also many African and American youth leaders, students in the United States and Africa who are tuning in virtually – most spoke vividly on strengthening the bonds between African countries and the United States.
The strategy recognizes the immense role that the African diaspora members and young people will play in shaping and strengthening that partnership. One young leader, who has mobilized climate finance to make the water sector more resilient in South Africa, is now sharing the lessons that she learned at a U.S. government agency. Another, fresh off her experience fighting infectious disease in Malawi, was sharing her insights with nonprofits and businesses in the United States.
Others were expanding educational opportunities for children, conducting environmental research, creating job opportunities for youth in both African countries and the United States, and demonstrating exactly why the diaspora is such an unparalleled asset for people on both continents. It’s these interconnections, the back and forth, and the benefits that flow to Africa and the United States alike that is so incredibly powerful.
The United States practically is committed to ensuring that young people continue to bring their talents and hard work to the tremendous benefit of people across the continent and to the benefit of people in the United States. The Times Higher Education index indicated that approximately 43,000 Africans have currently enrolled into and are studying in American universities.
In addition, Barack Obama started the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) which brings every year a group of young Africans to the White House. Until today, YALI continues to run various educational and training programs including short professional courses, conferences and seminars for Africans. It has a number of other economic development programs, like the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs program. Now, since its inception in 2019, this program has provided more than 5,400 women throughout Africa with the training and networks that they need to start and to scale small businesses.
Late December, additional investments were announced to make it easier for students to participate in exchange programs from African countries, to increase trade opportunities for members of the African diaspora, and to support African entrepreneurs and small businesses. Each of these investments is guided by one overarching goal: to continue building partnership in order to better address the shared challenges facing Africa.
The adopted strategy reflects diversity, its influence, and the ingenuity of its young people. There are also training programs to attract young African talents to research, tech-innovation and development in the United States. Those youth are a growing part of the continent’s population – and also the world’s. Today, more than 60 percent of Africa’s population is under the age of 25.
By 2030, two in every five people on this planet will be African. These rising generations are powering dynamic economic growth in their countries and far beyond. 2016 – just a few years ago – African startups raised $350 million dollars in investment; last year, they raised $5 billion in investment – and that’s a curve that’s going to keep going up and up and up.
An African-American Yvonne Orji once wrote that, “Nigeria made me. America raised me.” It is often said that one of America’s greatest strengths is cultural diversity – there are few greater testaments to that than the immense contributions of the African diaspora community.
The United States is investing in the infrastructure that provides the foundation for African entrepreneurship. That means creating more pathways for the free flow of ideas, of information, of investment, which in the 21st century requires one thing: digital connectivity.
Interesting to note that Africa has around twice as many internet users as the United States, yet the continent has only a fraction of our data center space. What does that mean? Slower, less reliable connectivity. That’s why U.S. Development Finance Corporation is investing $300 million in building data centers across the continent – because there is the need for networks that can keep up with the lightening pace of new ideas.
Second, investing in rising enthusiastic leaders. Since President Barack Obama created the Young African Leaders Initiative, nearly 5,800 trailblazers from every country in sub-Saharan Africa have come to the United States for academic and leadership training – developing skills, career guidance, and education relationships that are going to last for a lifetime and to the benefit of their communities.
Many of the Mandela Washington Fellows are entrepreneurs, and has until today thousands of graduates. For example, Abel Hailegiorgis from Ethiopia has a company building bicycles and wheelchairs from bamboo, which is stronger than steel – sustaining the planet, supporting local farmers and local manufacturers. The forthcoming years will involve frequent exchanges directed at contributing substantially to the network of professionals from African countries.
After the U.S.-Africa leaders summit, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has signed agreements to open branches and further expand American sports across Africa. With its African headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2010, additional offices are planned in Dakar, Lagos, Accra, Nairobi and Cairo in 2023. The league is committed to expanding efforts to make the game of basketball and the NBA more accessible across the continent.
With the dynamic team headed by Amadou Gallo Fall, sports diplomacy and the Basketball Africa League will become a strong contender as a success story for its bridge-building role between the United States and Africa.
The biggest takeaway is to stage a world-class events in Africa, have the talents and certainly the fan interest especially now that the NBA and FIBA coming together to launch the Basketball Africa League. Amadou Gallo Fall, from a business standpoint, noted to continue drawing world-class partners who are interested in supporting the league because what they would be doing is bigger than basketball. The feedback is very tremendous, an indication that the future is extremely bright.
“The African Diaspora continues expressing high interest in engaging with the league. We want to be drivers of this positive social change. For us, basketball has been the catalyst and our work on the continent has been focused on building the capacity and empowering youth. We think by engaging with young people and inspiring young people, we are going to elevate their communities. We have already seen the increasing interest among the youth across Africa,” he underlined.
Sports and brands promotion are indivisible part of the game. The National Basketball Association (NBA) Africa and the Basketball Africa League (BAL) continue to attract world class marketing partners, including the BAL Foundational Partners Rwanda Development Board (RDB), NIKE, Jordan Brand, and Wilson, alongside NBA Africa’s recent collaborations with ESPN Africa, Afrosport, KFC Africa (Pan-Africa), Africell (Angola), Stanbic Bank (South Sudan), and Maven Developments (Egypt).
Perhaps that’s not all. In September, the U.S. African Development Foundation teamed up with the Tony Elumelu Foundation to create a new program to provide financing, technical assistance, and mentorship to emerging young innovators in Africa. He recently launched another initiative to connect up-and-coming climate entrepreneurs with American companies.
Third, there is a program for fostering greater engagement by American companies. The U.S. private sector already invests more than $4 in Africa for every dollar that the government allocates to the region in foreign assistance – and it wants to do more. That’s the objective of the Office of Global Partnerships, which will take a U.S. private sector delegation to Ghana in February. It’s the goal of the Prosper Africa initiative – which is marshalling agencies from across the government to help more U.S. companies and inventors – investors to do business in Africa, and do it in a way that promotes inclusive growth – growth that’s sustainable for the planet.
Prosper Africa’s institutional investor delegation invests more than $85 million in an African fund that will provide financing to small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Through a partnership with Prosper Africa, Pierre’s company – Yolélé – is distributing fonio and other products made by small farmers in the region to markets in the United States. In a region where it’s getting harder to grow crops due to a warming climate, fonio’s deep roots make it virtually drought-resistant. Now, in West Africa, it’s said that “Fonio never embarrasses the cook” which is good news.
Despite some negative criticisms, African leaders continue sourcing different kinds of economic assistance and support provided by the United States. It explicitly shows the United States remains an indispensable power and will, by and large, play its appreciable role in the emerging the new world order. It has the structures, mechanism, experience and confidence to influence the future.
The African diapora leaders are mostly western-oriented, support the global status quo, admire the incomparable never-failing practical soft-power of the United States and in turn, maintain long-term geopolitical interest with the West. Within the context of the geopolitical realities, the United States and its leadership still have strong sustainable political, economic and cultural ties with African countries.
President Joe Biden has signed an executive order for the creation of African Diaspora Advisory Council as part of the presidency. According reports, the post-summit large-scale projects and programs will be coordinated, monitored and implemented jointly by the president administration, the White House, State Dept of African Affairs and the African Diaspora Advisory Council. It will also engage non-government corporate business organizations such Africa House and the Corporate Council on Africa.
With emerging challenges and geopolitical changes in the multipolar world, it is certainly true that U.S.-Africa inter-connectivity has become more important as it opens new opportunities for building relationships, and this requires working closely together to deepen and fortify America’s strategic partnerships with African diaspora – partnership that has shaped the past, is shaping present, and will shape future multi-dimensional relations, in the interests of sustaining a meaningful stability between Africa and the United States.
Oscar Sosa cooks roast chicken and pork on an artisanal grill set up outside his small restaurant, Comedor Espresso, in the eastern Salvadoran city of San Francisco Gotera. Like many of the returnees, especially from the United States, he set up his own business, given the unemployment he found on his return to El Salvador. More than 10,000 people were deported to this Central American country between January and August 2022. CREDIT: Edgardo Ayala/IPS
SAN FRANCISCO GOTERA, El Salvador, Jan 10 2023 (IPS) – While grilling several portions of chicken and pork, Salvadoran cook Oscar Sosa said he was proud that through his own efforts he had managed to set up a small food business after he was deported back to El Salvador from the United States.
This has allowed him to generate an income in a country where unemployment affects 6.3 percent of the economically active population.
“Little by little we grew and now we also have catering services for events,” Sosa told IPS, as he turned the chicken and pork over with tongs on a small circular grill.
The grill is located outside the premises, so that the smoke won’t bother the customers eating inside.
It’s not easy, he said, to return home and to not be able to find a job. That is why he decided to start his own business, Comedor Espresso, in the center of San Francisco Gotera, a city in the department of Morazán in eastern El Salvador.
“You come back wanting to work and there aren’t any opportunities. The first thing they see in you is your age; when you’re over 35, they don’t hire you.” — Patricia López
In this Central American country of 6.7 million people, “comedores” are small, generally precarious, neighborhood restaurants where inexpensive, homemade meals are prepared.
Sosa’s, although very small, was clean and tidy, and even had air conditioning, when IPS visited it on Dec. 19.
Skills and capacity abound, but opportunities are scarce
Sosa, 35, is one of thousands of people deported from the United States every year.
He left in 2005 and was sent back in 2014. He worked for eight years as a cook at a Mexican restaurant in the city of Pensacola, in the southeastern state of Florida.
The flow of undocumented Salvadoran migrants, especially to the United States, intensified in the 1980s, due to the 1980-1992 civil war in El Salvador that left some 75,000 dead and around 8,000 forcibly disappeared.
At the end of the war, people continued to leave, for economic reasons and also because of the high levels of violent crime in the country.
An estimated 3.1 million Salvadorans live outside the country, 88 percent of them in the United States. And 50 percent of the Salvadorans in the U.S. are undocumented.
Despite the problem of unemployment, Sosa was not discouraged when he returned to his country.
“I feel that we are already growing, we have five employees, the business is registered in the Ministry of Finance, in the Ministry of Health, and I’m paying taxes,” he said.
Obviously, not all deportees have the support, especially financial, needed to set up their own business.
The stigma of deportation weighs heavily on them: there is a widespread perception that if they were deported it is because they were involved in some type of crime in the United States.
A government survey, conducted between November 2020 and June 2021, found that 50 percent of the deportees manage to open a business, 18 percent live off their savings, their partner’s income or support from their family, and 16 percent have part-time or full-time jobs.
In addition, seven percent live on remittances sent home to them, two percent receive income from property rentals, dividends or bank interests, and seven percent checked “other” or did not answer.
Apart from some government initiatives and non-governmental organizations that provide training and funds for start-ups, returnees have faced the specter of unemployment for decades.
Many return empty-handed and owe debts to the people smugglers who they hired to get into the United States as undocumented migrants.
In the case of Sosa, his brothers supported him to set up Comedor Espresso.
He also received a small grant of 700 dollars to purchase kitchen equipment.
The money came from a program financed with 87,000 dollars by the Salvadoran community abroad, through the Salvadoran Foreign Ministry.
The initiative, launched in 2019, aims to generate opportunities for returnees in four municipalities in eastern El Salvador, including San Francisco Gotera.
This region was chosen because most of the deportees reside here, according to Carlos Díaz, coordinator of the program on behalf of the San Francisco Gotera mayor’s office.
But the demand for support and resources exceeds supply.
“There was a database of approximately 350 returnees in Gotera, but there was only money for 55,” Díaz told IPS.
More than 200 people benefited in the four municipalities.
David Aguilar and Patricia López (right) set up their own business, El Tuco King Carwash, after they decided to return to El Salvador. Their business is located in the eastern part of the country, a region where more than 50 percent of returnees live. CREDIT: Edgardo Ayala/IPS
Hope despite a tough situation
Out of necessity, David Aguilar and Patricia López, 52 and 42, respectively, also set up their own business, in their case a car wash, after deciding to return to El Salvador. It’s called Tuco King Carwash.
Like Sosa, they are from San Francisco Gotera. Aguilar left the country in November 2005 and López three months later, in February 2006.
They made the risky journey to try to give their young daughter – six months old at the time, and today 17 years old – a better future.
One leg of the trip was by sea, on the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico.
“I spent 12 hours at sea, in a boat carrying about 20 people, who were all undocumented like me,” Aguilar said.
He added: “The only thing they gave us as lifesavers were a few plastic containers, in case the boat capsized.”
It was in Houston, in the state of Texas, that Aguilar found work in a car paint shop. The experience has been useful to him back in El Salvador, because in addition to washing cars, he offers paint jobs and other related services.
Aguilar and López were not deported; they decided to return because her father died in 2011. They came back in 2012, without having seen many of their dreams come true.
“You come back wanting to work and there aren’t any opportunities. The first thing they see in you is your age; when you’re over 35, they don’t hire you,” López said.
Before embarking on the trip to the United States, she had finished her degree as a primary school teacher, in 2005. But she never worked as a teacher because she left the following year.
“When I returned I applied to various teaching positions, but no one ever hired me,” she said.
Today, their carwash business, set up in 2014, is doing well, albeit with difficulties, because the couple have found that there is too much competition.
But they do not lose hope that they will succeed.
Former Salvadoran guerrilla David Henríquez, deported from the United States in 2019, shows the quality of the disinfectant he has just produced in his small artisanal workshop in San Salvador. With no chance of finding formal employment after deportation, he worked hard to set up his disinfectant business to generate an income. CREDIT: Edgardo Ayala/IPS
An ex-guerrilla chemist
David Henríquez, a 62-year-old former guerrilla fighter, was deported in 2019.
During the civil war, Henríquez was a combatant of the then insurgent Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), but when peace came he decided to emigrate to the United States in 2003 as an undocumented immigrant.
With no hope of finding a formal sector job here, he began to make cleaning products, a skill he learned in the United States.
In the 12 years that he lived there, he worked for two years at the Sherwin Williams plant, a global manufacturer of paints and other chemicals.
“It was there that I began to discover the world of chemical compositions and aromas,” Henríquez told IPS during a visit to his small workshop in the Belén neighborhood of San Salvador, the capital.
Henríquez was producing a 14-gallon (53-liter) batch of blue disinfectant with the scent of baby powder. He also makes disinfectant smelling like cinnamon and lavender, among others. His business is called El Dave de los aromas.
His production process is still artisanal, although he would know how to produce disinfectant with high-tech machinery, if he had it, he said, “as I did at Sherwin Williams.”
He used a baby bottle to measure out the 3.5 ounces (104 milliliters) of nonylphenol, the main chemical component, used to produce 14 gallons.
Henríquez dissolved other chemicals in powder, to get the color and the aroma, and the product was ready.
He produces about 400 gallons a month, 1,514 liters, at a price of 3.50 dollars each.
“The important thing is to have discipline, work hard, to shine with your own effort,” he said.
Malawian Rebel And US Trained Preacher Immortalized In London Statue
LONDON— A new statue in London’s iconic Trafalgar Square has sparked an unlikely controversy. At center stage is the life of Baptist preacher John Chilembwe, a Malawian national hero.
After completing a religious education in the United States, Chilembwe returned to his East African homeland, where he was killed leading a rebellion against British colonial authorities during World War I.
The statue named “Antelope” was completed by Samson Kambalu, an associate professor of fine art and a lifelong fellow at Magdalen College, Oxford University. Like Chilembwe, Kambalu was born in Malawi.
The last known photograph of Chilembwe was taken in 1914, and this statue aims to reimagine that photo in a novel way. In the photo, Chilembwe stands next to British missionary John Chorley for the opening of Chilembwe’s new Baptist church.
“Chilembwe is wearing a hat, defying the colonial rule that forbade Africans from wearing hats in front of white people, and is almost twice the size of Chorley,” said the government of London in a media statement describing the statue. “By increasing his scale, the artist is elevating Chilembwe and his story, revealing the hidden narratives of underrepresented peoples in the history of the British Empire in Africa, and beyond.”
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The year after the photo was taken, Chilembwe would perish leading his ill-fated uprising against British authorities. British authorities sent thousands of young Africans from the colony to join its military, and thousands more were pushed into forced labor schemes.
Nelson’s Column and the sculpture entitled ‘Antelope’ by Samson Kambalu, recently installed on the … [+] ‘Fourth Plinth’ in Trafalgar Square, on 4th October 2022, in London, England. ‘Antelope’ is a sculpture that restages a photograph of Baptist preacher and pan-Africanist John Chilembwe and European missionary John Chorley. Chilembwe was killed during an uprising against the British in WW1 and his church was destroyed.
RICHARD BAKER/ IN PICTURES VIA GETTY IMAGES
“I am a Chewa myself like him,” Kambalu said in an interview. “I’m also a contemporary artist. I learnt from him in how you translate aspects of African heritage into the modern.”
While Chilembwe was a member of the Chewa ethnic group, his brief rebellion drew widely from a number of ethnic groups, including the Yao, Lomwe, Nyanja, Chikunda, Ngoni and Tonga. Indeed, there are other pan-African echoes in his life. One incident that led Chilembwe toward the path of rebellion was his shock at the British colonial authorities’ lack of compassion for the plight of refugees who had arrived in Malawi from neighboring Mozambique following a famine there in 1913.
Unusual for his time, Chilembwe studied in the United States at the Virginia Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, Virginia. Briefly the capital of the Confederacy at the end of the Civil War, the city had bounced back during Reconstruction. At the time of Chilembwe’s arrival, it had become one of the wealthiest in America. The Virginia Theological Seminary, which was founded in 1886, began admitting Black students in 1900.
Chilembwe had arrived there after coming under the spell of Joseph Booth, an English missionary who played a key role in the spread of various Christian denominations in Nyasaland and South Africa. Booth was affiliated with Baptist, Seventh Day Baptist and Seventh-day Adventist churches during his career as a churchman. He also served as a missionary for the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.
Ultimately, Booth would be forced to leave both territories by British colonial authorities due to his radical teaching. Booth held unorthodox religious views, including that the Sabbath should be observed on Saturday, not Sunday. Booth at one point predicted that by 1914 European colonialism would end in Africa, and independent Black nations would achieve unity with Black people in America. Booth spent much of World War I preaching pacificism outside of Africa, so he had no role in Chilembwe’s uprising. Yet, there is no doubt his ideas and support had a strong impact on Chilembwe’s own worldview.
While studying at what is today the Virginia University of Lynchburg, Chilembwe was exposed to the ideas of African American thinkers like Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglass and potentially William D. Dubois, as well as the ideas of America’s Founding Fathers and the militant abolitionist John Brown.
When Chilembwe returned to Africa, his efforts were supported financially by the National Baptist Convention — one of the two largest Black Baptist groups in the United States at the turn of the 20th century.
The statute of the U.S. trained Baptist leader who died leading an uprising against the British … [+]h Empire during WWI has proved controversial with some in the United KIngdom.
JOSEPH HAMMOND/RU
The statue of John Chilembwe known as “Antelope” stands over Trafalgar Square in London. The statute of the U.S. trained Baptist leader who died leading an uprising against the British Empire during WWI has proved controversial with some in the United KIngdom. JOSEPH HAMMOND/RU
Chilembwe soon found a unique voice as a preacher. Historians have debated to what extent millenarianism — the belief in a coming 1,000-year reign of Christ on Earth — and other religious ideas influenced his thinking. British authorities accused him of wanting to create a theological state in the Malawian highlands in the aftermath of the rebellion.
Chilembwe spent most of the rebellion at his church in near-constant prayer. While being pursued in the aftermath of the uprisings, he was shot and killed. Malawi gained its independence in 1964 and embraced Chilembwe as a national hero. His image was unveiled on its currency and the annual launch of the uprising is a national holiday.
Over 100 years after his death, the interpretation of his life remains a contested issue — as a campaign against the statue has unveiled. A “Save Our Statues” campaign petition against the monument has thus far attracted some 2,000 signatures.
Indeed, the debate over the statute of Chilembwe is part of a larger ongoing debate in the United Kingdom regarding public displays related to its imperial history that flared up in the wake of the death of George Floyd in 2020.
“Putting up a statue of John Chilembwe, ‘whose bloody rebellion targeted civilians and who preached beside the decapitated head of one victim’ is obscene,” said Father Marcus Walker, the rector at Great St. Bartholomew’s in London, in a tweet. While that claim is historically accurate according to subsequent investigations by British colonial authorities, Chilembwe was himself not involved directly in the killings or most of the rebellions military operations, instead opting to spend most of the revolt inside his church. By then the rebels had realized their rebellion had failed to create a broadly popular uprising.
Giles Udy of the Keston Institute, which is dedicated to the study of religion in communist countries, pointed out that the grandchildren of those killed during the rebellion are still alive in a tweet criticizing London Mayor Sadiq Khan for permitting the statue.
For his part, Kambalu took to Twitter on Nov. 16 to deny that the statue was meant as a monument while on a visit to the Holy Land. “I have no interest in monuments,” he said.
While the controversy has subsided online in the weeks since the statue’s unveiling, the statue will remain in place until 2024, when it will be removed from its place on Trafalgar’s Square’s Fourth Plinth.
The Fourth Plinth was completed in 1841 and was originally meant to house a statue of the monarch and head of the Anglican church — King George IV. However, this never happened due to a lack of funds. The plinth has been the site of rotating works of art since 1999, including several prior works with religious themes. Notably, Ecce Homo featured a statue of Jesus Christ in 1999 and a statue of an ancient Assyrian deity from 2018 to 2020 – a reference to the many ancient works of Mesopotamian art destroyed by Islamic State group terrorists.
“Antelope” will remain atop the plinth until 2024, when it will be replaced by “850 Improntas” by Mexican artist Teresa Margolles, which features “life masks” of 850 transgender people from around the world arranged in the manner of a Mesoamerican “tzompantli,” or skull rack. Where “Antelope” will be moved to remains unclear.
The year is coming to a close, but the efforts of food and agriculture systems advocates continue to bring awareness and advocacy to some of our most pressing problems. As we look ahead to the new year, Food Tank is highlighting 123 organizations, initiatives, and movements to follow. Youth-led networks empowering the next generation of food systems leaders, food waste warriors, farmers implementing sustainable practices, and blue food advocates are all recognizing the urgency of transforming food for the better. They are calling on public and private sectors, governments, and all of us eaters around the globe to address systemic inequalities, build resilience, and invest in community-led solutions.
Here are 123 organizations striving toward more equitable and regenerative food and agriculture systems to engage with in 2023.
This campaign brings together youth from around the world who are advocating for food systems change. As part of the campaign, members have developed a list of actions and are asking governments and businesses to take action to build more inclusive and nourishing food systems.
Founded by farmer Noah Nasiali-Kadima, AFarmers is a community of African Farmers working to improve farmers’ livelihoods. AFarmers also seeks to address food security throughout the continent by implementing innovative training models that empower farmers by helping them acquire knowledge and grow profits.
Based in Nairobi, Kenya, APHRC is a research institution and think tank with the goal of bringing independent evidence to the forefront of decisions supporting improved growth and development in the region. They are also behind the project Restoring Nairobi to “A Place of Cool Waters, which looks to empower women, scale agroecological farming practices, and create a people-centered food system.
A part of CGIAR, this global organization is delivering research-based solutions that harness the power of agricultural biodiversity. Their work tackles four key challenges: the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and malnutrition.
AFSA brings together African farmers’ organizations, NGO networks, consumer movements in Africa as well as international organizations, and individuals who are committed to promoting food sovereignty and agroecology in Africa. AFSA was also part of a group that requested that USAID redirect funds to agroecology, rather than continue to support the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). “Africa is not a monoculture,” writes Million Belay, General Coordinator for AFSA, “and we do not want it to become one.”
Ardi Ardak—which translates to my land, your land in Arabic—is a grassroots national food security initiative working to revive the Lebanese food system through projects that foster agricultural self-sufficiency. The initiative is a collaboration among The Environment and Sustainable Development Unit at the American University of Beirut, the Lebanese League for Women in Business, the Food Heritage Foundation, and Zico House.
The AFA initiative brings together small-scale farmers, fishers, Indigenous peoples, forest users, herders, and pastoralists in rural Asia. AFA seeks to empower these stakeholders, by promoting land tenure rights, diversifying farming systems and practices, building and strengthening family farmers’ cooperatives and their enterprises, and advocating for equitable treatment of producers. The Association also works with youth to build interest and skills around sustainable, resilient agriculture.
Big Green, started by chef, restaurateur, and advocate Kimbal Musk offers educational resources, grants, and more to encourage people to grow food. “Planting a seed is an act of hope for a brighter tomorrow,”says Musk. Big Green DAO, one of his latest initiatives, is a nonprofit led decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), which is designed to democratize and decentralize grantmaking for food and gardening organizations in the U.S.
The goal of the Beans Is How campaign is to show how increasing bean consumption around the world can contribute to a healthier, fairer, more resilient food system and help achieve SDG2, which aims to end hunger in all its forms by 2030. “If we collectively focus on this one product that we know is good for us, we can really make a difference,” says Sam Kass, former White House Chef and Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition as well as a Bean Champion for the Campaign. BiH hopes to double global bean consumption by 2028.
10. Better Soil, Better Lives, sub-Saharan Africa
The Better Soils, Better Lives initiative, started by Roland Bunch, was founded to address the worsening droughts caused by the deterioration of soil quality. They hope to double the agricultural productivity of 70 percent of sub-Saharan farmers in 20 years. Bunch promotes the use of green manure/cover crops to restore soil health and increase yields, even during periods of drought.
A community investment fund that aggregates and redistributes the wealth of social impact investors, Black Farmers Fund provides grants and loans to Black farmers and food businesses in New York. Their goal is to build resilient Black food economies. Through this work, the Fund seeks to repair Black communities’ relationships with food. “Black Farmer Fund seeks to provide an alternative way for community-driven Black farmers and food businesses in New York to access capital that is non-extractive, culturally-relevant, and governed by other Black farmers and food business owners,” says Olivia Watkins, President of the Fund.
The BFA was launched in 2019 to bring blue foods to the forefront of policy discussions at the 2021 U.N. Food Systems Summit. They are a joint initiative of the Stockholm Resilience Centre, the Center for Ocean Solutions and Center on Food Security and the Environment at Stanford University and EAT. Healthy marine ecosystems are “a vital part of meeting the goals for nutrition, food security, livelihoods, and justice” across the broader food system, says Jim Leape, Co-Director of Stanford’s Center for Ocean Solutions.
Brave Noise is a global collaborative effort to provide inclusive and safe environments for everyone in the beer industry. They currently work with more than 275 breweries in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.S., and the UK as well as homebrewers. They are also in the process of involving beer drinkers and bars. Originally launched as a short-term project, they are continuing to expand the scope of their work. “The only way to move forward and to create real change,” Brave Noise Co-Founder Brienne Allan says, “is by bringing in more women, non-binary, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ into leadership and decision-making roles.”
The faith-based organization Bread for the World calls on U.S. policymakers to end hunger. Guided by Christian values, they believe that it is essential to speak out and encourage the government to take action. They are also behind the Alliance to End Hunger, which they established in 2021 to bring together secular and faith organizations to promote food security.
CFJC is working to build a more equitable food system by centering the leadership of farmers of color and challenging the forces of racism and other forms of oppression. In 2017, CFJC advocated for and helped pass the Farmer Equity Act, adding a definition of a Socially Disadvantaged Farmer and Rancher to the California Food and Agriculture Code.
CIFOR-ICRAF is a research institute that brings together governments, academia, civil society, and private companies to address deforestation and biodiversity loss, the climate crisis, unsustainable food systems, unsustainable supply and value chains, and extreme inequality. The institute also works to build more sustainable supply and value chains and address extreme inequality.
The Chef Ann Foundation is committed to helping schools around the country serve nutritious meals to their students. Through their Get Schools Cooking program—a three-year program that helps schools transition from a heat-and-serve operation to scratch-cooked meals—the nonprofit has reached 241 schools and 75,788 children. They have also worked with the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leadership Council to expand culturally-relevant meals in schools for Native students.
Cooking for Salud is a bilingual English and Spanish nutrition education and behavior modification program. Part of the California-based Olivewood Gardens & Learning Center, the program teaches participants how to make changes at home that will improve their families’ health outcomes. Once women finish the program, they become known as Kitchenistas and actively engage with their community to promote healthy, sustainable food systems.
By helping farmers cope with the changing climate, Crop Trust is on a mission to ensure food and nutrition security. Crop Trust was established in 2004 by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and Bioversity International on behalf of the CGIAR, with the goal of sustainably supporting a global system for the conservation and use of crop diversity.
“The industrial, capitalist food system has created more food on planet Earth than ever before,” says Dr. Rupa Marya, a physician, author, and the Executive Director of the Deep Medicine Circle, “and there are more people going hungry than ever before.” The Deep Medicine Circle is led by a collective of women of color. They work to repair the harms committed by colonialism through food, medicine, stories, restoration, and learning. This work includes restoring relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and returning land to Indigenous peoples.
The field of dietetics is predominantly white. Diversify Dietetics is working to change that by bringing together students, professionals, and educators who are committed to creating opportunities to encourage a more diverse field of dietetics and nutrition. They do this through scholarships and grants, mentorship programs, application support, and educational resources.
Based in Washington D.C., Dreaming Out Loud is an urban farm established in 2009 by Christopher Bradshaw. The farm works to build racial and economic justice in the nation’s capital by uplifting Black farmers and entrepreneurs in the food industry. The organization sees the food system as a powerful tool of resistance, resilience, and advocacy for structural change.
Formed in 2014 as a community-led effort to promote food systems transformation and climate adaptation, the Drylands FRN is part of the McKnight Foundation’s global Collaborative Crop Research Program (CCRP). The team adopted integrated Gully Rehabilitation Trusts (GRTs), a group of 385 households spread across five soil and water conservation groups, to address gully erosion.
EAT is a global nonprofit and science-based global platform working toward food system transformation. They regularly organize events and have cultivated partnerships with a range of foundations, academic institutions, organizations and companies that provide strategic advice, knowledge, and financial support. They are also a convener of the Good Food Finance Network.
Founded in 2016, the Ecdysis Foundation seeks to apply science to highlight issues within the current food system and build more sustainable and regenerative systems. Through the 1,000 Farms Initiative, the Foundation is working to promote regenerative agriculture systems on farms throughout the U.S. “We need to be there for producers that are interested in changing,” says Jonathan Lundgren, Director of the Foundation.
EDF brings together over 1,000 scientists and lawyers with the goal of protecting the environment. In 28 countries the Fund works on issues that range from overfishing and food contaminants to pollution from the oil and gas industry. Through strategic partnerships, scientific and economic research, and advocacy, EDF is committed to strengthening laws and policies that protect the environment and improve public health.
Founded in 2018 and based in Brussels, FEBA is a nonprofit organization operating in Europe that seeks to prevent food waste and assist people who are food insecure. FEBA works with 330 food banks in 29 countries throughout Europe. In response to the war in Ukraine, they played a critical role in recovering and delivering food and personal hygiene products throughout Ukraine and in nearby countries including Hungary, Moldova, Poland, and Romania.
FAIRR is an investor network that targets Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) risks in the global food sector. They take three approaches to this work: a protein producer index, a sustainable proteins hub, and a climate risk tool. Thanks in part to their advocacy work, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization recently announced that they will develop a plan to address greenhouse gas emissions associated with food and agriculture systems.
A farm worker labor union, FLOC came to life under the leadership of Baldemar Velásquez. What began as a small group of farm workers in northwest Ohio has since grown to include thousands of workers around the country. They believe that farm workers need a voice in the decisions that affect them, and all parties should be brought to the table to address industry wide problems. “Many of you are involved in advocacy groups but you need to partner with groups that are the recipients of your support.” Velaszques says, “Because they need to get up and rise up and start demanding these things for themselves.”
The Farmers Market Coalition works to strengthen farmers markets in the U.S. to benefit farmers, consumers, and communities. The Coalition recently worked with Black food systems leaders to release an anti-racism toolkit intended to help market managers make their spaces more welcoming to all.
Fed By Blue seeks to highlight the importance of blue foods in a sustainable food system. They believe that blue foods are critical to addressing nutrition equity, protecting oceans and waterways, improving biodiversity, and boosting the productivity of fisheries, while mitigating the impacts of the climate crisis. “Worldwide demand for fish is increasing every year…We simply need to be smarter about the way we use this resource,”writes Jennifer Bushman, Co-Founder of Fed By Blue. “The oceans have an incredible way of rebounding when balanced fishery and aquaculture management is put in place.”
In New York City, FIG wants to transform food systems through knowledge sharing and mutual aid. They deliver fresh produce to community members, run a study group, and operate farm field trips. In 2023, they plan to launch culinary workshops in partnership with two local organizations, Black Trans Liberation (BTL) and TG.
Through direct financial grants, technical assistance and training, and advocacy, the First Nations Development Institute aims to improve economic conditions for Native Americans. Specific programs include providing access to nourishing native foods and providing financial and technical assistance to support Native ecological land stewardship.
Food 4 Farmers supports coffee-growing communities in Latin America by helping them strengthen food systems, promote sustainable farming practices, diversify livelihoods, and cultivate local leadership. To date, the organization has secured a 41 percent increase in income among beekeepers in Mexico. They have also addressed 40 percent of the food security gap in Nicaragua and achieved a 30 percent reduction in months of food insecurity experienced in Colombia.
FOLU is a global coalition that takes an evidence-based approach to food systems change, while incorporating diverse opinions and approaches. By building platforms that support research analysis and develop tools for stakeholders, FOLU empowers people to change their food systems on the ground.
The Food Chain Workers Alliance advocates for better working conditions, documentation status, and pay for workers across the food chain, with the goal of building a more equitable food system for workers. The Alliance works with 34 members who represent over 375,000 food workers in the U.S. and Canada.
Food Recovery Network is a student-led movement that fights waste on college campuses to combat food insecurity across the country. Founded in 2011 by four students at the University of Maryland, the Network now operates on 187 campuses in 46 states. Since its start, they have recovered more than 494,000 kilograms of food and donated 9 million meals.
FRAC is working to improve the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the U.S. They do this through advocacy, strategic partnerships, and by working to develop bold policy solutions. Their strategic plan focuses on strengthening federal nutrition programs, maximizing available benefits, addressing racial inequities, reducing poverty and addressing other root causes of hunger, and supporting their national network of advocates.
Founded by Ertharin Cousin, FSF’s mission is to address malnutrition in underserved and low-income communities. In addition to working with Black and Latinx communities in the U.S., FSF also operates in sub-Saharan Africa. They invest in and provide market-driven food and agriculture enterprises to sustainably, and profitably improve nutrition outcomes.
FoodPrint helps guide consumers who want to make environmentally responsible choices in their food purchasing. They provide a range of resources on how to cook, shop, and dine out sustainably, as well as suggestions on how to grow food and compost. They also provide reports on the footprints of sectors including alternative meat, aquaculture, and pork.
Founded by Amy Wu and led by a group of women entrepreneurs, From Farm to Incubators highlights the stories of women innovators, especially women of color, in agricultural technology. They highlight stories through books, film, and portraits. They have also developed an online directory of notable innovators in agritech.
FromSoil2Soul recognizes that the rate of burnout in the U.S. is creeping upward and seeks to address this by reconnecting people with the Earth. Taking an ecotherapy approach, the organization’s courses teach participants about gardening, food preservation, herbal remedies, seeds, and composting.
GAIN works to advance nutrition outcomes by improving the consumption of safe, nutritious food. Their programs help to carry out large scale food fortification, support small- and medium-sized enterprises, shape markets to encourage healthy and sustainable diets, and more. They also helped to establish the Initiative on Nutrition and Climate Change (I-CAN), which aims to accelerate transformative action at the intersection of climate and nutrition. “Climate and health go together; nutrition is a really important bridge between the two. We need to bring these two worlds together,” Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director for GAIN tells Food Tank.
Guided by seven key principles, the Global Alliance for the Future of Food brings together philanthropic foundations committed to transforming global food and agriculture systems. To accomplish this, the Alliance develops research and tools to support food systems change, convenes key stakeholders, and connects global and local knowledge systems.
An international nonprofit working to address hunger on a global scale, the Global FoodBanking Network works in over 40 countries. The organization partners with food banks, many of which are implementing new models of food distribution that are mindful of clients’ agency and dignity. These local organizations are encouraging knowledge sharing, promoting food safety, and building capacity in the fight to end hunger.
The Global Seafood Alliance strives to advance responsible seafood practices around the world. In addition to engaging in education and advocacy, the Alliance is also behind the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) and Best Seafood Practices (BSP) certification programs. These certifications help consumers choose seafood products that are better for both people and the environment.
Building on the outcomes of the finance lever of the U.N. Food Systems Summit, the GFFN serves as a platform for finance leaders to advance food systems transformation. “Too often we look at the policies that are necessary, the government interventions that are required without looking at the investments that are required from the private sector,” says Erthartin Cousin, CEO and Founder of Food Systems for the Future, one of the conveners of the Network. The GFFN aims to develop commitments from financial institutions, governments, and the private sector to drive action.
A special fund under the China Biodiversity Conservation and the Green Development Foundation, GFF focuses on facilitating a shift in food production, distribution, and consumption patterns. GFF Is behind a vision that aims to increase the diversity of foods available to Beijing residents, develop community-based markets that are entirely plant-based, and develop a Good Food Hub within every market to ensure food access.
According to the U.N. global meat consumption is projected to double by 2050. The Good Food Institute hopes to change this by encouraging eaters to rethink consumption patterns and adopt more protein alternatives. They do this through knowledge sharing, policy advocacy, and finding market opportunities for these products.
The youth-led Green Africa youth Organization hopes to provide solutions to pressing environmental issues through youth empowerment, skills development, and education. Their Sustainable Community Project in Ghana is the first community-led, circular economy waste management project in the country.
Chefs Tonya and David Thomas created H3irloom Food Group to honor and uplift the Black food narrative. Based in Baltimore, Maryland, the 100 percent Black-owned company uses their catering, pop ups, and other dining experiences to educate others about the story behind their meals and promote sustainability. “Maryland has an incredibly rich history…in food, in agriculture, and we want to make sure that we acknowledge that,” says David Thomas.
Based in the neighborhood of Harlem in New York City, this nonprofit organization brings hands-on education in urban farming, sustainability, and nutrition to youth. Harlem Grown’s mission is to inspire the next generation to lead healthy lives. They currently have more than a dozen urban agricultural facilities, ranging from hydroponic greenhouses to soil-based farms.
The FLPC provides students with hands-on experience in food law and policy with the goal of addressing the health, environmental, and economic impacts of the food system. Together with the Global FoodBanking Network, they are developing the Global Food Donation Policy Atlas, which examines country-specific food donation laws and provides recommendations to strengthen food recovery efforts.
Founded by WeightWatchers International, the Healthy Living Coalition brings together companies and nonprofits working to break down barriers to nutrition security. Thanks in part to the advocacy efforts of the Coalition and their partners, Congress successfully passed the Food Donation Improvement Act, a piece of legislation that will make it easier for businesses to redirect surplus food to those in need.
Operating from the belief that food is a powerful tool of connection, HEAL Food Alliance is working to build a more sustainable and equitable food system. The coalition is composed of 55 organizations dedicated to changing the current extractive model of food and farming systems. HEAL’s School of Political Leadership, a six-month program, supports the development of food and farm justice leaders. “Our food system is rooted in slavery and rooted in systemic racism,” Jose Oliva, Campaigns Director for HEAL, tells Food Tank, “and that leads to this devaluement of the work itself.”
Through research, policy analysis, and education, Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center seeks to prevent diet-related illnesses and promote food security in New York City and other urban areas. The Center also promotes food justice and advocates for food policy change in NYC and other urban areas.
Founded in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the IRC launched to keep independent bars and restaurants afloat. The group believes that by coming together to advocate for the needs of small businesses, they will be able to affect legislation change. While the Coalition currently focuses on securing relief for restaurants, chef Andrew Zimmern says they eventually hope to expand their impact through new projects.
A Brazilian NGO, Instituto Ouro Verde is committed to protecting the environment and improving the livelihoods of small-scale farmers in deforested areas. The Institute launched a digital AmazonPasto platform that helps users access and share information about species that are beneficial for silvo-pastoral agriculture systems.
With member states throughout the Americas and the Caribbean, IICA has four strategic objectives. They strive to increase the contributions of the agricultural sector to develop economic growth and sustainable development; support the wellbeing of rural communities, improve international and regional trade for countries in the region, and increase the resilience of rural areas and agri-food systems.
Based in the United Arab Emirates, ICBA works in more than 40 countries to develop agricultural solutions in regions facing biophysical and socioeconomic constraints. These areas face challenges including low soil fertility, water scarcity, steep terrain, and restrictive land tenure. ICBA combines the use of high and low technologies with education and capacity building to support local food production.
IFAD invests in rural people to increase their food security, improve nutrition, and support their livelihoods. They see small-scale agriculture as central to their development model and seek to connect farmers, and poor communities to markets and services. Since they began their work in 1978, IFAD’s projects have reached an estimated 518 million people. “Giving women access to finance to obtain high-quality inputs and training to improve agronomic practices, will not only create opportunities for women to increase production, processing, and sales but also improve household level dietary diversity and nutrition,” Phillip Baumgartner, Country Director for Lesotho at IFAD, tells Food Tank.
Since 2015, IPES-Food has brought together an international group of researchers to inform the debate on global food systems reform. Their recent reports cover topics including competing frameworks of food systems models, the effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on global food prices, and the politics of protein. “Getting food systems on the global agenda isn’t enough,” authors of the recent “Smoke & Mirrors” report write. “We must ensure inclusive global processes based on a shared understanding of food system transformation and a comprehensive (socially and environmentally) sustainable food system vision.”
Founded as a nonprofit in 1982, IFANCA is a third-party halal certifying body dedicated to addressing food and health security in the Muslim community and beyond. As part of their work to fight food insecurity, the Council works with schools and colleges around the country to help expand access to halal options for students. They also advocate for policy change at the local, state, and national level.
The James Beard Foundation works to celebrate American food culture while pushing for new and better standards in the restaurant industry to ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive. The organization recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of their Chef Bootcamp for Policy and Change, which helps chefs to advocate for better food systems.
Operating out of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Center for a Livable Future has worked for 25 years to change food systems and protect the public’s health. Their issue areas include food systems and urbanization, strengthening food system resilience, reducing food waste, food equity, food animal production, and food policy and governance.
A volunteer-run political collective, Justicia for Migrant Workers promotes the rights of migrant farm workers and farm workers without formal immigration status in Canada. They create spaces where workers can organize and have their concerns heard without losing work or putting themselves at risk for deportation.
To help cultivate the next generation of food systems champions, the Kitchen Connection Alliance offers events, provides educational materials, and encourages in-person advocacy. With support from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, they recently released The Cookbook in Support of the United Nations: For People and Planet. The cookbook features recipes from 75 farmers, chefs, activists that celebrate diversity and sustainability. “The culinary world has a tremendous power to break down barriers and bring us all to the table,” the Alliance’s Founder Earlene Cruz tells Food Tank. “Once we’re together, these vehicles are powerful tools to help us change our world for the better.”
An organic farm cooperative in El Salvador, La Canasta Campesina wants to address the country’s aging farmer population by encouraging young people to pursue careers in agriculture. Their training programs, workshops, and scholarships provide youth with opportunities to develop their skills and leadership abilities and advance their education.
La Via Campesina is an international movement fighting for peasant’s rights, food sovereignty, land, climate and environmental justice, and a way of living beyond capitalism. La Via Campesina works with 182 organizations in 81 countries, and with over 200 million peasants around the world.
The Lagos Food Bank Initiative is the largest hunger relief nonprofit in Nigeria. They recently collaborated with the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic and Global FoodBanking Network to develop recommendations to help Nigeria simultaneously reduce hunger and cut food loss and waste.
By adopting nature-positive practices, olive producers participating in the Olivares Vivos project have the potential to increase biodiversity and farmers’ profits. The project was part of Europe’s LIFE Programme and is coordinated by the nonprofit SEO Birdlife. As a result of the regenerative agricultural practices implemented on olive groves, bee populations increased by 47 percent and the number of species of woody plants increased by 172 percent.
In East Cleveland, Ohio, Loiter wants to develop successful, community-owned businesses. The nonprofit, started by chef and food waste warrior Ismail Samad, provides local residents with the resources needed to embark on an entrepreneurial path. “There’s so much untapped talent in this community, there are so many undervalued resources,” says Samad. Since launching their first phase, the nonprofit has brought food trucks and pop-up shops to Loiter’s premises.
A village and agricultural cooperative in Costa Rica, Longo Maï, defends the land and water for its local community. More than half of the village’s land is designated as a wildlife refuge, while residents use the other half to cultivate crops for their consumption. They are also organizing to protect their land from the expansion of pineapple plantations.
Youth4Climate, a global initiative empowering young leaders, created the MENA Youth Network to bring together youth from the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region. By uniting advocates, they are fighting for a greener world that better serves both people and the planet.
A program of the Milken Institute, Feeding Change focuses on improving nutrition, increasing equity, and promoting sustainability in the food system. They bring together global CEOs, entrepreneurs, investors and philanthropists, policymakers, and academics to host conversations around innovations that can accelerate action. Their Food Is Medicine (FIM) Task Force leverages research and thought leadership to promote nutritional security, integrate FIM into policy and finance, and catalyze food systems change.
An agricultural policy think tank, the MwAPATA Institute engages with government leaders, the private sector, and civil society actors to support policy analysis, outreach, and coordination as well as capacity building. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Institute released a policy brief that recommended actions the Malawian government should take to mitigate the impact of supply chain shocks and outlined opportunities for growth.
Representing urban and rural farmers across the U.S., the NBFJA is working on protecting Black-owned land and advancing Black food sovereignty. The coalition recently announced the launch of the Lola Hampton-Frank Pinder Agroecology Center in Florida, which will support the training and education of Black farmers.
The NYFC is working to empower a new generation of farmers. “The next generation in agriculture needs federal policy support to keep growing healthy food for their communities through a pandemic, and to access the land, water, and other essentials they need to survive in this challenging industry,” says Policy Campaigns Co-Director for NYFC Vanessa Garcia Polanco. The organization recently released the results of the latest National Young Farmer Survey, which finds that young farmers are motivated by environmental conservation and social justice, yet still face major barriers including student loan debt and land access.
To help encourage a new generation of farmers, Niman Ranch created the Niman Ranch Next Generation Foundation. Through grants that help the children of farmers and ranchers further their education, the Foundation is working to help young people enter careers in agriculture.
This grassroots network envisions a food system for Ohio that is sustainable, healthy, equitable, resilient, and accessible. Their policy agenda focuses on four areas: local farms, access and education, infrastructure, and institutions that can create and expand markets for local foods. The Network helped to organize the official North America Celebration for World Food Day 2022 alongside The Ohio State University, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, U.N. Environment Programme, and Food Tank.
One Step Closer is a community of businesses taking action to build a more regenerative world. They launched their Zero Waste Campaign in 2022 to raise awareness of the need to eliminate single use plastics from products and their OSC Packaging Collaborative focuses on compostable packaging solutions.
A nonprofit communications and advocacy organization, Plastic Pollution Coalition collaborates with organizations, businesses, and individuals from around the world. Their mission is to create a more just, equitable, and regenerative world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts. One way they hope to do this is by removing single use plastics from movies and television shows. “How much can we pull so that we’re not consistently normalizing plastic pollution and plastic waste on the screen?” asks actress and activist Alysia Reiner.
Project Drawdown serves as a leading resource for climate solutions, identifying strategies to reduce global levels of greenhouse gas emissions. Their Solutions Library outlines resources for a variety of sectors, including food, agriculture, and land use. They encourage stakeholders in the sector to address waste and diets, protect ecosystems, and shift agriculture practices to build a more sustainable world.
By 2040, the food awareness organization ProVeg hopes to reduce the global consumption of animals by 50 percent. They have received the U.N.’s Momentum for Change Award and at U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP27) served as a key organizer of the Food4Climate Pavilion. Listen to Raphael Podselver of ProVeg discuss their work here.
By bringing together a collective of queer folks engaged throughout the food system, QFF serves as a resource and platform – while also promoting, protecting, and funding food spaces for LGBTQAI+ communities. As part of this work, the Foundation is committed to increasing representation of queer folks in discussions about food systems and the food industry. “We want to start bringing people together in person,” QFF Founding Board Member Vanessa Parish says. “[We want to go to] different states, regions, and cities with events around the country so that people can meet and support right in their local communities.”
Re:wild brings together Indigenous peoples, local communities, influential leaders, nonprofits, governments, companies, and the public, to protect biodiversity. This includes working on Indigenous land rights, addressing wildlife crime, and restoring ecosystems in several key biodiversity regions around the world. To this end, they partner with college students to help them reimagine their campuses with a focus on climate resilience.
ReFED works to end food loss and waste from across the U.S. food system using data-driven solutions. In the last year, they have relaunched a digital database to monitor policies pertaining to food waste prevention, recovery, and recycling and introduced a new tool to track capital investments in food waste reduction. “While we still have a long way to go in terms of reaching food waste reduction goals,” says Alejandro Enamorado Capital, Innovation & Engagement Manager at ReFED, “we’re starting to see progress… [and] we’re excited by what we’re seeing.”
The nonprofit Kiss the Ground launched Regenerate America to include more resources for regenerative agriculture in the 2023 Farm Bill. Through the widespread adoption of these practices, this coalition of farmers, businesses, and nonprofits believes that it’s possible to improve food and water security while strengthening climate resilience.
reNature is on a mission to support and scale regenerative agriculture around the globe. Projects range from developing an agroforestry educational center in Arpen, Mexico to scaling agroecological practices on a community plot in Khetee, India. In 2022, they launched their 2% for the Planet campaign, which aims to reach 2 percent of the world’s farmers and regenerate 2 percent of all farmland.
By bringing together food, agriculture, and technology experts, the Refresh Working Group advocates for the responsible use of technology and data in the U.S. food system. They help to educate policymakers, advocate for policy changes, and empower those working in agriculture, food, and public health to promote the positive application of data-driven technologies.
The Resilient Cities Network helps its 98 member cities develop holistic resilience by focusing on three priority areas: Climate Resilient Cities, Circular Cities, and Equitable Cities. The Network’s Urban Eats campaign helps cities develop circular food systems that feed all residents while reducing waste.
For more than 50 years, CEFA has worked to help lift rural families out of poverty through sustainable development. Alongside the World Food Programme and Triangle Génération Humanitaire (TGH), CEFA helped launch the world’s first fish farm in a refugee camp in Algeria. The farm was developed to increase access to protein and increase economic autonomy, particularly among local women and youth.
By fostering multi-holder collaboration, the SUN Movement—representing 65 countries—is working to end malnutrition. The Movement looks to scale up and invest in country-specific interventions that address the specific needs of a region. In 2022, they launched their first official youth network in Côte d’Ivoire to engage and mobilize more young people. “I’m always hopeful,” says Gerda Verburg, Coordinator of the SUN Movement, “because being pessimistic is not an option.”
The SDG2 Advocacy Hub brings together NGOs, advocacy groups, civil society, the private sector, and UN agencies to coordinate global campaigning and advocacy. The Hub’s goal is to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030.
SEKEM is a biodynamic farm founded by the late Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish in 1977. SEKEM has since evolved to include a university, school, vocational training center, and medical center. SEKEM’s multiple companies sell produce, herbs and spices, organic textiles, and natural medicines and healthcare products, which are sold throughout Egypt and Europe.
Representing more than 2 million poor, self-employed women workers from the informal economy, SEWA is the largest Central Trade union. Their goal is to help women across 125 trades achieve economic, food, and social security and develop autonomy at the individual and community levels. In the food sector, SEWA is empowering women and supporting their livelihoods by encouraging them to grow and re-incorporate nutrient-rich, traditional foods.
A nonprofit serving the Sicangu Lakota Oyate, SFSI is working to build community-driven food systems grounded in Lakota values. They run a farm, a harvest market, and oversee a foodways project to revive and preserve traditional Lakota food knowledge and practices. “I honestly believe our best days aren’t behind us,” says Matte Wilson, an enrolled citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and Director of SFSI. “They’re ahead of us.”
An Afro-Indigenous centered community farm, Soul Fire Farm seeks to cultivate food sovereignty while dismantling racism and colonialism. By drawing on ancestral knowledge and bringing diverse communities together, Soul Fire Farm provides a space for the next generation of activist-farmers to learn how to care for the earth.
Since 2006, SAAFON has worked in the Southeastern United States to strengthen the collective power of Black farmers striving to build an alternative food system. Through their three-tiered approach, they help meet the needs of individual farmers, activate connections across their network, and drive systems change and movement building.
With the support of Workers United Upstate, Starbucks Workers United has helped over 250 stores unionize to make their workplaces safer and more equitable. “We’re not just fighting for ourselves, we’re fighting for a better working class,” says Nikki Taylor, a member of the Memphis 7—a group of Starbucks employees fired for attempting to form a union. Organizers have called on their employers to provide workers with a voice in setting organization policies, improve health and safety protocols, offer fair wages, and more. Watch members of the Memphis 7 speak about their experience at SXSW 2022 here.
The Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems works to develop innovative ideas and solutions to the challenges facing food and agriculture systems. Their work focuses on issues ranging from water and energy use to the livelihoods of farmers and others working in the sector. In partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council and Californians for Pesticide Reform, the Swette Center recently put out a report outlining opportunities to expand organic agriculture through the 2023 Farm Bill. “Expanding organic agriculture is an investment in our future, one that could ultimately produce significant returns,” says Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director for the Swette Center.
Founded by a group of friends at the University of California Los Angeles, Swipe Out Hunger works to address food insecurity among college students. They work by developing on-campus solutions to help students in need access food, scaling their work through community building, and advocating for policy solutions.
Based in Austin, Texas, The Cook’s Nook works to promote and advance food access, equity, security, and sustainability through food and nutrition services. The Cook’s Nook also provides packaged, ready-to-eat meals with the goal of expanding access to affordable, fresh food by providing organizations with healthier choices for their clients and customers.
TNC strives to build a world where people and natural ecosystems thrive. Among their top priorities is sustainably providing food and water to the growing population. TNC is working to achieve this goal through new and better managed protected areas, sustainable fishing, restored working lands, innovative financing, and strategic partnerships.
The Rockefeller Foundation helps to advance more regenerative, nourishing, and equitable food and agriculture systems. Recent investments from the Foundation will support Indigenous and regenerative agriculture and promote access to healthy, sustainable foods. With Media RED, they are also developing “Food 2050,’ a documentary that spotlights visionaries working to transform food systems from the ground up.
The World Vegetable Center aims to alleviate poverty and malnutrition by increasing vegetable harvests, improving consumption of nutritious vegetables, raising incomes for poor households, and creating jobs. A new research initiative developed in partnership with CGIAR and others will help to address low fruit and vegetable consumption in low- and middle-income countries.
By advocating for the introduction of fair prices for meat and dairy products, the TAPP Coalition is working to reduce consumption of these items. They are also a member of the The Carbon Pricing Food Coalition, which introduced the COP27 Climate Agreement on Food and Farming to help steer countries toward climate conscious food goals.
Launched as the first food bank in the United Arab Emirates in 2017, the UAE Food Bank is committed to feeding those in need while eliminating food waste. They collaborate with the public sector as well as local and international charities to collect, store, and distribute fresh food from hotels, restaurants, and supermarkets.
The FoodTech Challenge looks to identify new innovations that can efficiently and sustainably transform food and agriculture practices. In 2023, four winning teams from the most recent competition will share a US$2 million pool as well as opportunities for grants, acceleration support, and more.
UNEP helps to inspire, inform, and enable nations to care for the environment and improve the quality of life for current and future generations. Focusing on the root causes of three crises—climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste—UNEP raises awareness and advocates for effective environmental action.
“I don’t think we value the food enough. We don’t value the soil enough. We don’t value the ecosystems in general enough,” says Zitouni Ould-Dada, Deputy Director in the Climate and Environment Division at the FAO. But the U.N.’s agency on food and agriculture wants to change this. Their efforts focus on improving food access to ensure that everyone can lead active, healthy lives. Their new strategic framework, spanning from 2022-2031, prioritizes better food production and nutrition to ensure everyone has access to healthy, sustainably grown food; a better environment to protect ecosystems in the face of the climate crisis; and a better life by reducing inequalities.
The U.N. Global Compact is a voluntary initiative based on CEO commitments to implement sustainability goals. Their Ocean Stewardship Coalition helps the global business community take action to ensure a healthy ocean. Alongside Startup Portugal and Envisible, they recently launched a new U.N. Accelerator Network, which will serve as an innovation hub for the Coalition.
The world’s largest humanitarian organization, the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) works in more than 80 countries to bring food to those in need. With 828 million people in the world going hungry and hunger rates on the rise, WFP continues to respond to the conflict, climate shocks, and economic instability driving food insecurity.
An alliance of food-focused groups in the U.S., the USFSA works to end poverty, rebuild local food economies, and implement democratic control over the country’s food and agriculture system. They award the annual Food Sovereignty Prize, which went to Food Sovereignty Ghana and Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC) in 2022.
By upcycling food—or developing products from ingredients not typically consumed by humans—companies have an increasing opportunity to prevent food waste. With members based around the world, the UFA works to attract investment in the upcycled industry, improve the network of upcycled businesses, improve the upcycled supply chain, and increase consumer demand for upcycled products.
CORAF is Africa’s largest sub-regional organization, coordinating agricultural research and development in West and Central Africa. CORAF partners with ASARECA (Association for strengthening agricultural research in Eastern and central Africa), CCARDESA (Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa) and NASRO (North African Sub-Regional Research Organization) to achieve food and nutrition security.
WANDA is a nonprofit that seeks to empower women and girls of African descent and call upon ancestral knowledge to address racial and gender inequalities in the food system. Their initiatives include a fund to support what WANDA calls “food sheroes,” and Sisterhood Suppers. In 2022, they also launched a petition to support a Food Bill of Rights to ensure food policies are aligned with national values. “Democracy means full participation in the shaping and making of food policy that influences how we operate within the system,” says WANDA’s Founder and CEO Tambra Raye Stevenson.
A global female leadership movement that is committed to enacting social justice, WGI advances gender equity and youth development agendas. WGI helps girls attend and stay in school so they can pursue higher education. The organization also empowers mothers to become financially independent by helping them develop new skills and knowledge.
WorldFish is a research and innovation organization focusing on the role that aquatic foods play in supporting the livelihoods and wellbeing of millions of women, men, and children. Their work focuses on six intersecting themes: nutrition, gender, climate, sustainability, economy, and COVID-19.
Chef and activist Jose Andres founded World Central Kitchen to provide meals to people affected by humanitarian, climate, and community crises. In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, WCK was among the first organizations to mobilize chefs and feed those fleeing violence. “I’ve been blown away by the beauty of humanity,” says Chef Marc Murphy, who was one of the first chefs to join WCK’s work in Ukraine.
The World Food Prize works to highlight solutions that increase the quality and quantity of available food. Each year, the Foundation awards the World Food Prize to an individual that has made significant contributions to advance food and nutrition security. The 2022 World Food Prize Laureate was Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig, whose work investigates the relationship between climate and food systems.
WWF works to help local communities conserve natural resources. Their food systems work focuses on helping communities produce and consume food in a way that benefits a thriving planet and global population. One of WWF’s most recent reports provides a framework to transform food and agriculture systems.
Zero Hour is a youth-led movement helping young activists drive change and address the climate crisis. Setting 2040 as the transition to achieve a just transition, they argue that climate action requires urgent attention.
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