The Catholic Church agency Caritas has announced a project that aims to end hunger across South Asia by 2030 by helping out farmers in adapting efficient agricultural practices in accord with climatic conditions.

The program will be implemented in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan through Caritas organisations in these countries. It would be supported by the Caritas organisations of Switzerland and Austria.

“The unique program aims to address our common goal of ending hunger by 2030,” said Christoph Schweifer, secretary general of Caritas Austria.

“Climate change is a global challenge and affects agricultural production and human well-being. It hits hardest where people directly depend on agriculture for food and livelihoods,” claimed Sunil Simon, project director in India.

The program supports small-scale farming as a solution to hunger and diseases related to it in the region and also to increase productivity and sustainable practices in agriculture in response to climate change.

To end world hunger is one of the sustainable development goals set up by the United Nations. By 2030, no one should be hunger stricken and devoid of nutritional food.

India, where more than half of the population is farmer, the rate of hunger in population is unavoidably high. One-fourth of the world’s hungry people resides in India. It causes malnutritioned children due to lack of nutritions in mother due to pregnancy.

With the help of the new programme, the farmers would be made aware of the challenges that lie ahead due to climate change through discussions to farmers from other regions and find solutions.

“Mutual sharing, learning and proactive problem solving between farmers, agricultural scientists and governmental and non-governmental organizations are at the core of this project,” Simon said.