If you want to support healthy, equitable, environmentally sustainable and socially just agriculture and development activities in Malawi and elsewhere in the Global South, then there are several ways that we feel that you can support the work that we are carrying out in the Soils, Food and Healthy Communities Project.
- Buy local, organic food. – Buying local, organic food from smallholder farmers reduces your carbon footprint and thereby reduces the negative impacts that climate change is predicted to have, particularly on Africans. It also supports social justice by providing a reasonable livelihood to local farmers, and has many other environmental, health and social benefits. For more information, visit (websites to follow).
- Buy fair-trade products. – Try to ensure that the products you buy from Africa, Latin America and Asia provide a reasonable wage to farmers. For more information, visit: (websites to follow).
- Reduce your carbon footprint. – There are a host of ways to reduce your household or individual carbon emissions. Walk or bicycle more, drive less. Reduce air conditioning, the use of your dryer and air travel. See: http://carbonfund.org/reduce
- Ask your government to reduce their carbon emissions. – Industrialized countries such as Canada and the United States have very high per-capita emissions, and have benefited from their carbon emissions. We need to put pressure on our governments to take responsibility for this global problem.
- Join or donate to a socially and environmentally responsible development organization or social movement. – There are many such organizations, we are just one of them! Do research to find out what organization best reflects your values.
- Continue to be aware of climate change and its effects. In Malawi and much of southern Africa, we are already seeing the effects of climate change in the form of less predictable rainfall, a varying climate, and increased drought and flooding. The implications for the health and food security of small farmers are very serious, and climate change will have a huge impact on the entire world if it is allowed to continue at predicted rates. Luckily, it is preventable, with a dedicated global commitment. For information on the most recent research and developments on climate change, see: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change at http://ipcc.ch
