Support local growers and food producers with subsidies and tax incentives

Actions 4 Change

We want local solutions that empower local people and make our communities more resilient. This would mean building resilience, technical and market access for local producers, and shorter supply chains. Governments should create enabling environments to help local producers use native crops that are well adapted to the local environment and provide subsidies and financial support to food producers investing in sustainable and nutritious outcomes.

Why does this Action 4 Change matter?

Food is a basic right for everyone. A fair and just food system is one in which everyone is included, and everyone has equal access to opportunities. But at the moment, many groups around the world are discriminated against when it comes to accessing food and markets. Agriculture employs 27% of the global workforce. 60% of the food consumed globally comes from small farms. They are a crucial part of the food system, and are especially important in low- and middle-income countries where they provide lots of food and jobs.   

At the moment, smallholders around the world are discriminated against when it comes to accessing food and markets. We must encourage Governments to support small scale farming with economic support.


Youth in Action:

Taylor Quinn is a Canadian food anthropologist and social entrepreneur dedicated to supporting the design and creation of healthy, affordable food businesses. In 2016, Taylor moved to Liberia amidst the Ebola outbreak and was shocked by the devastating number of children dying from starvation. Taylor met with local health professionals and was told that despite medical nutrition interventions, kids were dying because nutritious low-cost food was not available in local markets.

Inspired by his experience in Liberia, Taylor launched a social enterprise with a mission to create delicious, culturally relevant food products at a price that families in extreme poverty could afford. In Liberia, this is ‘Power Gari’ – a line of flavored cassava-based porridge fortified with all the vitamins necessary to maintain good health. Ingredients are sourced from smallholder farmers, manufacturing equipment from local machine shops, and everything is operated by locally owned businesses, that employ mostly women. Tailored Food has now sold food in Liberia for 3.5 years, and in Congo for close to a year, with 3 new countries soon to be launched.

The model Taylor and his team built in Liberia has sold over 500,000 meals to families living in extreme poverty. They have consistently sourced from 90 smallholder women farmers, and employed 7 women at their processing facility. Taylor’s work has provided a support system for local growers and producers to thrive in their business. A Gates Foundation funded research study showed that Power Gari sells at $0.06 USD/meal, and it was noted that 86% of existing customers wanted to buy more in the future. Taylor’s product shows that food can be affordable, nutritious and delicious.

There is a business opportunity in working with local growers and food producers to make delicious, nutritious food affordable to the lowest-income families. The food system in its current broken form is run by humans, not by faceless corporations. So, if you are a young person, get out there, and start a business building a better food system.

Taylor Quinn

Actions 4 Change