Our work

Zero hunger

Vegetable market in the Central African Republic

Contributing to the fight against hunger and malnutrition is one of our most important tasks. We believe that a large part of the solution lies in an increased focus on climate-friendly agriculture for small farmers.

A group of Congolese small farmers work and water their fields.
A group of Congolese small farmers working and watering their fields (Photo: Robert Hodosi/Caritas Norway)

Everyone has the right to food

We live in challenging times marked by multiple crises – war, climate change, economic downturns and aid cuts. Poverty is increasing and forcing people into hunger. Caritas is present where it happens. Read more about the work below.

The UN report Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026 shows that the number of hungry people in the world has decreased over the past three years. The trend is going in the right direction, but there were still 645 million people who did not have access to enough food in 2025. This is a long way from the sustainable development goal of eradicating hunger by 2030.

While developments have been positive in parts of Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the situation remains very serious in Africa. The continent now has the highest number of people experiencing hunger, with around 309 million people affected. More than half of Africa's population experiences moderate or severe hunger.

food security means having access to enough food, safe food and nutritious food, in order to live an active and healthy life all year round. food security is a fundamental right, enshrined in UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights article 25.

What are we doing at Caritas to fight hunger?

Internationally, Caritas works both in the short and long term to eradicate hunger. Among other things, we do this in collaboration with World Food Program (WFP) which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 for its work.

Through the UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 all countries in the world have committed to eradicating hunger, achieving food security, better nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture by 2030. In order to achieve this goal, we are working to increase investment in sustainable and robust food production, and more support for small farmers and women.

Together with local Caritas organizations in DR Congo, Mali, Niger, Uganda, Colombia, Honduras and Sri Lanka, we contribute to increased food security and better living conditions for small farmers and their families. This also benefits the local communities they live in.

What have we achieved in the last five years?

Give your support now so we can continue the fight towards zero hunger.

Small-scale female farmer irrigates her field