Silas Samson Buru knows what it’s like in need.
MSU students, faculty and campus organization listened to Buru, a farmer from Ethiopia, speak about farming and the sharing of crops around the world at the Natural Resources Building on Tuesday night. Buru and representatives from Oxfam America, a nonprofit organization based in Ann Arbor, spoke to students to make light of a growing problem of drought and poor farming conditions in other parts of the world.
Oxfam America aims to reduce the amount of excess U.S. crops given to foreign countries and make poorer parts of the world more self-sufficient.
“Our goal is, through investments in these systems, is for farms in foreign countries to not rely on crops from America,” said Adam Olson, regional advocacy lead of Oxfam America. “We go global and act global. There is enough food on the planet – it is just the way we share it.”
Droughts in Ethiopia have decimated farmers’ crops, which have caused massive revenue losses in already poor third world countries. To counter that revenue loss, Oxfam America and other nonprofits have helped develop a way for poor farmers around the world to finance farming operations and insure their crops.
“We had a project with Oxfam America, but later on they came to our village, and I was one of the farmers to attend the meeting,” said Buru.
Without sufficient financing, Buru and Oxfam America representatives said essential farming in third world countries would be extremely difficult.
Oxfam America representatives discussed microfinancing, which provides financial services to low-income clients, which many people believe will help poor people get out of poverty.
According to Oxfam America, the microinsurance program in Ethiopia has expanded from 200 households in 2009 to more than 13,000.
“I started from zero, and now I have improved my life, and we would like the continued support from Oxfam America,” said Buru.
Learning about ways to fight hunger and poverty and to put UNICEF on the map is very important, medical technology senior Kaye Cruz said.
“I think it is absolutely amazing to hear what (Buru) has gone through,” she said. “There is no better success story.”
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