Livelihoods and Food Security
Building resilient and flourishing communities
At Dorcas, we believe that livelihoods and food security form the foundation for resilient and flourishing communities. Livelihoods encompass the means by which people and communities fulfil their fundamental requirements, such as access to food, clean water, and other vital resources.
A central part of this work is ensuring food security, which involves guaranteeing reliable access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food. Dorcas works with communities through inclusive, locally led approaches to strengthen diverse livelihood strategies and support lasting well-being, independence and opportunity.
Our approach
Dorcas works with communities to strengthen livelihoods and build lasting food security. We use locally led approaches that build on people’s knowledge, skills and resources, creating opportunities for people to improve their livelihoods and secure nutritious food for the future.
Participatory Integrated Planning (PIP) is central to how Dorcas works towards sustainable livelihoods and food security. The approach enables smallholder farmers and their families to take the lead in improving their farms, villages and surrounding landscapes. Together, families develop plans for their future, combining their ambitions for farming, income and wellbeing with practical steps to make them happen.
Through training and sustainable agricultural practices, they learn to address challenges such as water scarcity, degraded soils and poverty, strengthening their resilience and creating lasting change. Dorcas applies the PIP approach in Tanzania, Egypt and Ethiopia.
PIP in practice
Insights from a Dorcas Thematic Expert
How can farming families turn their ambitions into lasting change? Peter de Hoogh, Thematic Expert at Dorcas, explains how the Participatory Integrated Planning (PIP) approach helps families improve their farms, strengthen their livelihoods and build resilience through practical planning and knowledge-sharing.
The Dorcas Food Campaign
Around 673 million people worldwide experience hunger. To address this global crisis, Dorcas organises the annual Dorcas Food Campaign. Through the campaign, we raise awareness, mobilise resources, and implement sustainable solutions that enable communities to flourish.
The Food Campaign takes a holistic approach to promote food security. As part of our crisis response, we distribute food parcels to those in urgent need. We also promote economic development by providing skills training to equip people in need to start their own businesses.
Through our Livelihood and Food Security programme, Dorcas supports marginalised households by training them in sustainable farming techniques and providing necessary materials.
