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Did You Know that Voting Can Impact Hunger in the U.S., and Worldwide? 

on  October 13, 2020

Talk is cheap! But voting is free. Want to make a difference this year? Let’s take it to the polls!Voting is one way we can raise our voices to advocate for the communities facing hunger in the U.S. and around the globe. Yes, you read that right – around the globe.   What many may not realize is that elected officials in the U.S. vote on bills that impact lives far beyond our own borders. Contacting your elected officials to raise awareness can affect change worldwide!In 2016, congress passed the Global Food Security Act (GFSA) which put in place a strategy called Feed the Future. Through this, the U.S. government authorized International Disaster Assistance programs and initiated strategies to help nations with high rates of hunger and food insecurity develop sustainable agriculture programs. In October 2018, a new bill was authorized and signed into law to ensure the continuation of Feed the Future’s programs. The GFSA is a non-partisan initiative that moves us closer to a world without hunger, signed into law first by President Obama in 2016, then reauthorized and extended by congress and President Trump two years later.It’s easy to become overwhelmed (or consumed, depending on your level of interest) by the myriad of political, social and economic issues that arise during election season. The sheer volume of information coming at us on a daily basis can seem paralyzing, but we can cut through the noise to take action! I’ve taken the Vote to End Hunger pledge – will you join me? When you vote, take a moment to consider the children in your community and around the world who are excited to attend school because they are guaranteed lunch that day.I’m excited to be a part of this campaign, because at Rise Against Hunger, we are working each day to grow a global movement to end hunger by empowering communities, nourishing lives and responding to emergencies. You can help us grow the movement, and further our work in all of these areas, by Voting to End Hunger in November.

About the Author

Michael Bell has worked on the Community Engagement staff at Rise Against Hunger since 2014. He lives in Houston with his wife Emma, daughter Helen and their cat Mouche.

More Posts by Mike Bell

Strength, Stability And Hope

The gift that filled Nelly’s table.

“We were yielding very little, and the crops could not sustain us the whole year,” Nelly remembers. As a mother of seven and a farmer with two decades of experience, the stress of inconsistent yields was all-consuming. A poor harvest not only strained her family financially, but also limited their own meals to just two a day. Their story reflects that of many in their fishing and farming village near a lake in the Karonga district of northern Malawi. Here, heavy rainfall makes conventional farming methods nearly impossible. The entire village is, quite literally, saturated in food insecurity — a reality that leaves families struggling to survive season after season without a dependable source of nourishment.

In 2019, Nelly began participating in Harvesting Prosperity and Resilience, a sustainable agriculture project implemented by Rise Against Hunger in partnership with the Foundation for Community Support Services (FOCUS). The project works with 3,100 smallholder farmers in Malawi’s Karonga and Mzimba districts to strengthen food and nutrition security by improving production methods, nutrition practices and household income.

Just one year later, Nelly was ready to expand the variety of crops on her farm. What land once only produced maize began to flourish with sesame, cowpeas, rice and groundnuts during the rainy season (summer), as well as maize and vegetables during the dry season (winter). Through climate-smart agriculture training, she learned new techniques like manure making, pit planting and mulching, crop rotation and intercropping. Equipped with these tools, Nelly’s farm began to thrive.

After the 2023–2024 growing season, she sold enough produce to purchase an ox cart. Her harvests in 2024-2025 season yielded over 500 pounds of crops, including 22 bags of groundnuts, seven bags of maize, 12 tins of sesame and three bags of rice. With this surplus, she was able to invest in a motorbike, which she now uses to transport African doughnuts (mandasi) that she cooks and sells — creating yet another source of income for her family.

The transformation reaches far beyond her finances. Nelly now has the stability to provide for her husband and children. “I am able to eat different food types, pay school fees for my children and fulfill the visions that I have made with my family,” she beams. “I am now sleeping peacefully without any fears of food or paying school fees for the children.”

Her leadership has also grown. Today, Nelly serves as a leader in the Harvesting Prosperity and Resilience project, teaching other farmers in her district to adopt climate-resilient, labor-saving practices. By sharing her knowledge, she is multiplying her impact — empowering her neighbors to experience the same transformation she has achieved.

Across Nelly’s community, food and economic security are on the rise. Lombani, a government extension officer for the region, explains, “I can see the community is being transformed in the sense that in the area, there is food, income and nutrition security. Development is also happening at the household level.”

Nelly reflects on what it means to invest in holistic programs that address the root causes of hunger: “We are now healthy people. Children are going to school after eating their breakfast, having high yields and different types of crops due to conservation agriculture practices. With the support from the project, we have food, and we can access other food items from the market after selling our produce.”

This is the gift that fills: a future full of stability, strength and hope. It fills tables with food, families with security and communities with the resources to thrive. It’s an investment in futures rooted in resilience and hope.