Food Security

The Directors of the Humpty Dumpty Institute have always had a strong interest in feeding the hungry and helping the disenfranchised. Through our international programs in Asia and Africa, HDI's projects have always combined mine clearance with agricultural development activity aimed at increasing food security. In Angola, for example, HDI cleared landmines from strategic roadways that allowed over 20,000 farmers to bring their produce to market for the first time in over a decade. In Laos, our ongoing project removes unexploded bombs from schools areas and provides a daily nutritional snack to over 10,000 kids. And in Sri Lanka, our landmine removal program in the Jaffna Peninsula is coupled with teaching over 1,200 farmers new and modern farming techniques and revitalizing the once thriving, but now dormant dairy industry.

Even with this success, however, HDI has not lost sight of the fact that there are people to help in the United States as well. With this in mind, we are initiating a special program catering to underprivileged families who do not have regular and frequent access to fresh fruit and vegetables. In our first U.S.-based program, HDI recently announced a unique partnership with the Famer's Market Federation of New York to provide 25,000 food stamp recipients in upstate New York with coupons and incentives in order to double their purchases of fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables at 43 farmers markets. This pilot program breaks down traditional barriers for food stamp recipients and expands their use of electronic debit cards at farmers markets in upstate counties to purchase fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables. Beginning in the 2008 market season, each food stamp client using debit cards at farmers markets will receive a $5.00 coupon for each $5.00 in food stamp sales of fresh fruits and vegetables — effectively doubling their purchasing power of healthy food.