Help Sabah's Rural Families Survive Sustainably with Food Security

THE PROBLEM

Rural Sabah families are struggling to survive hunger throughout The Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has left many with worsen livelihoods and uncertainty. This is even more extreme in Sabah - one of the Poorest States in Malaysia with over 40,000 classified as "hardcore poor". Deep in poverty, the district of Kota Belud alone houses over 74 remote and rural villages, with most communities not connected to any basic utilities. Rural farmers, mothers and children are facing overwhelming, worsening issues, especially Food Insecurity.

Dire Issues Faced By The Rural Sabah Community

1. Due to the Remoteness, Scattered Villages, Underdeveloped Transport, Poor Utilities and Covid-19 Concerns, rural villagers are unable to buy daily groceries from town, making them heavily reliant on farming their own crops for self-consumption.

2. Job loss and high living costs in the city have forced people and their families to return to their rural villages and they are solely relying on Farming as their only means to Eat, Earn and Live.

3, Long-term Monoculture Farming (growing only one type of crop such as rubber and palm oil) and a lack of water supply causes soil in these villages to be Infertile with Poor Nutrition.

4. Rural families do not have the proper skills, knowledge and materials for sustainable farming. In the long-term, this results in not having enough daily food and nutrients. FOOD INSECURITY occurs causing Imbalanced Diets and Poor Health, especially for children.

5. Continuous poverty and unemployment have Worsened Rural Livelihoods. Families now depend on Unsustainable External Aid (Food Bags) to live instead of growing their own food.

THE SOLUTION

Together We Can Fight Rural Hunger And Achieve Food Security For Families

By empowering the rural community with the skills, knowledge and tools needed to start green, sustainable small-scale farming, families are able to make use of their own land to improve their Long-term Food Security - Growing Own Food For Self-Consumption And Sustainable Livelihoods.

1) Families clear land and set-up farms with the tools and long-lasting materials given.

2) Utilising the rural community’s gravity water system, families are able to Fertilise The Land (using hugelkultur method) and start Growing Diverse Crops (seedlings). 

3) Introduction Of Chicken And Fish Farming as reliable protein sources to families who excel in farming. Materials are given to set-up chicken coops / fish tanks.

THE IMPACT

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”

1) Enables rural families to grow a variety of fresh vegetables, fish and chicken for Self-Consumption; better nutrition intake in their daily diets leads to Improved Health and Children’s Development.

2) Villagers are able to take advantage of Green Farming Methods, such as Vermicomposting (worm fertiliser) for free to further enhance crop health, quality and harvest; reducing natural waste for Zero Wastage, while moving away from harmful traditional farming methods that pollute the environment.

3) Families are able to Increase Savings as food and farming costs are reduced. Additionally, rural families do not need to travel during this pandemic for food as they will have a Constant Food Supply Available Any Time at home, especially during food crises4) Excess produce does not go to waste as it is Sold Within The Local Community or given to rural families in need of Food Aid; this improves the farmers’ household Income while also helping other underprivileged villagers with their Food Security.

5) By tackling the UN’s SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) and SDG 15 (Life on Land), empowered rural farming families are able to reach Food Self-Sufficiency Sustainably and Improve Their Livelihoods for the long-term future.

Donate now and help the rural families live better and eventually, break the cycle of poverty!