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Hunger & food security

One in six people worldwide now suffers from chronic hunger. Over a billion women, men, and children. And the problem is not limited to poor countries. While the US is one of the wealthiest countries on earth, over 39 million Americans live in poverty. At Oxfam, we’re working on solutions to ensure that no one, no matter where he or she lives, has to go to sleep hungry.

Fighting hunger has long been at the core of Oxfam's mission. The name "Oxfam" comes from the original British postal abbreviation for the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief in Oxford, UK, whose early efforts included an appeal in spring 1945 to help survivors of the Dutch "hunger winter."

ACT FAST with Oxfam
The trend can seem unstoppable, but one person can make a difference. Pledge to ACT FAST with Oxfam today, and join a movement that's harnessing the power of numbers to beat poverty.
ACT FAST with Oxfam
We can beat poverty and hunger—but we’ve got to ACT FAST. When you pledge to ACT FAST with Oxfam, you agree to do three things. Each step builds on the power of numbers: 1, 10, 100. And each person who takes the pledge brings us closer to our goal of beating poverty.
Tell Congress to co-sponsor the Lugar-Casey Global Food Security Act of 2009
We need to stand up for the millions of people around the world who face hunger on a daily basis.
Host an Oxfam America Hunger Banquet® event
Raise awareness and help fund Oxfam's work by hosting a Hunger Banquet® in your community! Few experiences bring to life the inequalities in our world more powerfully than an Oxfam America Hunger Banquet® event. Organizers and participants alike can experience firsthand how our decisions affect others in the world.
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OXFAMExchange Fall 2008
A root revolution in Cambodia
OXFAMExchange Spring 2008
Raising a generation without fear
OXFAMExchange Fall 2007
Moving Toward Lasting Solutions in Gambia
Working together to end poverty and injustice
An overview of Oxfam America and our approach to poverty relief and lasting social change.
Oxfam in the Horn of Africa
Drought. Conflict. Low crop prices. These are among the realities that poor people across the Horn of Africa face on a daily basis. But with new tools for channeling water, building peace, and influencing markets, people are beginning to wrest control over their lives.
Oxfam in West Africa
Across the vast Sahel and down through the lush rainforests of Ghana, there is a growing sense of possibility.
OXFAMExchange Fall 2003
Ross Gelbspan on Climate Change, The Fast for a World Harvest Turns 30, Hurricane Mitch Five Years Later
OXFAMExchange Spring 2002
Oxfam launches the Make Trade Fair campaign
More publications
Band aids and beyond
Oxfam calls for a shake-up in the way the world deals with food crises in Ethiopia and beyond.
Empty promises
What happened to 'development' in the WTO's Doha Round?
Investing in Poor Farmers Pays
Rethinking how to invest in agriculture
What Happened at the G20?
Initial analysis of the London summit
A Billion Hungry People
Governments and aid agencies must rise to the challenge
Double-Edged Prices
Lessons from the food price crisis: 10 actions developing countries should take
Mirror on America
How the state of Gulf Coast recovery reflects on us all—Oxfam's report on the status of Gulf Coast recovery three years later.
Credibility Crunch
Food, poverty, and climate change: an agenda for rich-country leaders
The World is Still Waiting
Broken G8 promises are costing millions of lives
Causing Hunger
An overview of the food crisis in Africa
Cuba: Going Against the Grain
More research
Oxfam America Organizing Guide
Tips for taking action in your community
Oxfam America House Party Guide
Tools for hosting a high-impact event
Take Action: Global Food Crisis
Already 854 million people on our planet suffer from hunger. Now, as food prices climb high and fast, conditions are becoming worse and threatening the well-being of millions more people.
More tools for activists
Hunger Banquet
Pfeiffer University will host an Oxfam Hunger Banquet!
Moravian Church Hunger Banquet
sponsored by Eastern District of the Moravian Church's Church and Society Commission, Hunger Banquet for all at 5 p.m., Nov. 8th, East Hills Moravian Church, 1830 Butztown Road. Bethlehem, PA 18017.
Providence College Hunger Banquet
Come experience the power of an Oxfam Hunger Banquet hosted by Providence College
More events
In the grip of drought
Ethiopians find ways to fight back
A tiny seed and a big idea
Insurance for Ethiopia's farmers
More water, more food
An improved irrigation channel in Ethiopia now delivers a steady supply of water to a small village called Shasha Korke.
A Seat at the Table
Step into the world where food is often scarce and difficult decisions have to be made every day.
Coping during the hungry season in Gambia
Nyama Filly Fofana leads the way.
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Food crisis in Guatemala

Food crisis in Guatemala

Oxfam and local partners help farmers cope with crop failures, food shortages.

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With the help of a few sheep, women improve lives of their families

With the help of a few sheep, women improve lives of their families

In North Shewa, Ethiopia, sheep are an important household asset.

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A traditional form of help allows families to rebuild herds in Ethiopia

A traditional form of help allows families to rebuild herds in Ethiopia

Families share the offspring from their small herds with neighbors in need.

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Millions face hunger as drought sweeps East Africa

Millions face hunger as drought sweeps East Africa

Oxfam America is responding to the crisis with emergency assistance that includes food and cash-for-work programs that aim to help about 350,000 people.

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The other green revolution

The other green revolution

African farmers have reclaimed farmland lost to drought in the Sahel, bringing hope for the future of this arid region and a model for fighting hunger worldwide.

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Rebuilding lives after Typhoon Ketsana

Rebuilding lives after Typhoon Ketsana

Thach You, like thousands of others in Cambodia, is struggling to keep a roof over her family's head and find enough food for her children following a season of devastating floods.

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Weather insurance offers Ethiopian farmers hope—despite drought

Weather insurance offers Ethiopian farmers hope—despite drought

For the first time, poor farmers can now buy insurance for teff, a staple grain that feeds their families.

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Medhin Reda's best asset is her own hard work

Medhin Reda's best asset is her own hard work

This farmer is trading her labor for an insurance premium to cover her teff.

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Selas Samson Biru faces uncertainty with the seasons

Selas Samson Biru faces uncertainty with the seasons

But with weather insurance she doesn't have to worry so much about her teff harvest.

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