Aid Professionals

The Aid Pros Blog

A collection of news and comment of interest to people working in the world of humanitarian aid.   Subscribe

How to handle assistance to returning refugees: The Burundi case

In partnership with CARITAS and UNHCR, WFP is using a distribution system in Burundi that enables beneficiaries to receive smaller rations closer to their home. By providing a discreet ration card instead of a large package of food, beneficiaries are protected against risks associated with carrying large quantities of food over long distances.

Read more & add a comment

Howard Buffett: Small, large farmers both boost global food security

WFP's Ambassador Against Hunger, Howard Buffett, argues that both commercial production and smallholder farming are essential to end world hunger. This article was first published by the Omaha World Herald on 23 July 2010

Read more & add a comment

Howard Buffett: "We Need To Connect Poor Farmers To Markets"

A philanthropist who’s donated millions to the fight against hunger, Howard Buffett talks with WFP’s Nancy Roman about his experiences in the developing world and why he supports a WFP pilot project that helps farmers escape poverty by growing more and better food and then selling it at a fair price. 

Read more & add a comment

Provocative Writing On Future Of Food Supply

WFP's Nancy Roman says she found a great deal of food for thought in "What We're about to Receive", an article by British author Jeremy Harding about what events like the April eruption of Eyjafjallajökull reveal about the world's food supply. The article was published in the 13 May 2010 issue of the London Review of Books.

Read more & add a comment

World Environment Day: WFP Nepal Goes Solar

Frequent power outages and melting glaciers are a constant reminder in Nepal of the shortcomings of fossil fuels. In an effort to reduce its carbon footprint and become more energy-efficient, WFP's office there is looking to solar power as a sustainable alternative.

Read more & add a comment

The Potential for Scale and Sustainability in Weather Index Insurance

Risk Management for Poor Farmers – How to Scale and Make Index Insurance Sustainable?

Read more & add a comment

High Malnutrition Rates, A Silent Emergency In DRC

Nutrition surveys carried out by the Congolese government, with the support of UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP), have found unusually high levels of malnutrition in children living in five provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Read more

Kinshasa, 6 April 2010

Read more & add a comment

Lessons From The Chile And Haiti Earthquakes

Investing in disaster risk reduction saves lives and livelihoods

While many factors determine the impact of an earthquake, the difference between the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile is stark. The Chilean earthquake was one of the ten most powerful earthquakes recorded in the last century . It released 500 times more energy than the earthquake that struck Haiti in January. Yet, less than 1,000 people are thought to have died in Chile, in comparison to the over 300,000 people who lost their lives in Haiti.

Read more & add a comment