Food and Water

Hunger and malnutrition remain the leading threats to public health worldwide.

A woman holding a gardening tool and smiling.
CARE / FotoDocument / Ana Caroline de Lima

CARE's goal: 75 million people gain access to clean water and the resources to grow, sell, and cook nutritious food.

Over 800 million people go hungry every day, not because there isn’t enough food, but because of unfair systems and inequality.

Being hungry impacts everything. When families can’t cover this basic need, they struggle to find a way out of poverty. It’s harder to take advantage of economic opportunities or get involved in community actions. Kids who are hungry don’t do as well in school — if they are able to go at all. Babies who don’t get the right nutrition early in life may never reach their full potential as adults.

Not only are these numbers unacceptable — globally, they’re getting worse. Food insecurity has increased every year over the past three years. If we don’t do something now, 1.4 billion people could be hungry by 2050.

CARE fights hunger in more than 60 countries by helping communities grow more food, access clean water, and build healthier lives. We focus on supporting women and girls, strengthening local farming, and making sure everyone has a say in decisions that affect them.

Learn more about our food and water work:

Clean water

The impacts of clean water go beyond just handwashing and safe drinking water. Access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene products also helps prevent disease outbreaks and keep girls in schools longer.

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Market access

CARE helps farmers sell their food and earn more income. We also open the door to more job opportunities for women and youth by helping ensure equal access to markets.

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Nutrition

CARE teaches families about growing and eating healthy, nourishing food. We also work with schools, health centers, and businesses to make healthy food easier to find and afford.

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Agriculture

Women are vital to smallholder agriculture around the world. They grow food, support their families, and contribute to their local economies. CARE supports women farmers by recognizing their essential roles and removing barriers that limit what they can achieve.

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How CARE approaches our food and water work

With 80 years of experience, CARE focuses on long-term solutions that help people grow food, earn income, and feed their families.

We will accomplish this by:

  1. Encouraging smart water use and restoring natural ecosystems
  2. Making sure women can access and control what they need to earn an income
  3. Connecting farmers to markets
  4. Improving water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH)
  5. Supporting better nutrition for families
  6. Reducing food loss and waste
  7. Creating more job opportunities
  8. Helping families during hard times

Our work centers around four key areas to make food systems stronger and fairer. This ensures that our programs are:

  1. Sustainable: CARE helps communities grow food in regenerative ways that protect the environment. Women and youth learn skills in regenerative farming, efficient water use, and seed saving so they can continue feeding their families for generations.
  2. Productive: CARE supports farmers to grow more food, earn more income, and improve overall nutrition. We connect them to markets, promote different ways to earn a living, and strengthen food systems to reduce waste and improve access.
  3. Equal: CARE works with women to build confidence and leadership skills, and with men and boys to improve fairness and equality. We help communities make decisions together and ensure everyone’s voice matters.
  4. Resilient: CARE prepares communities to handle challenges like environmental shocks, conflict, and economic changes. We build safety nets, encourage social support, and help families bounce back stronger from crises.

Farmer Field and Business School

CARE's Farmer Field and Business Approach is a proven and scalable way to help small-scale women farmers grow more food and earn more money.

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