Humundi (Belgium / Bolivia)
Humundi
Project countries: Bolivia (2025) / Democratic Republic of Congo (2026)
Humundi (formerly SOS Faim) is a Belgian international solidarity NGO that has been fighting hunger, poverty and inequality in Africa, Latin America, and Europe since 1964. They work through a global network of 70 local partner organisations to support farmers in their quest for food sovereignty and economic autonomy by accelerating the agro-ecological transition. Humundi’s approach encompasses all players in the food chain, from production to consumption. By encouraging the adoption of agro-ecological practices, they aim to guarantee everyone the fundamental right to healthy, nutritious food, while preserving the planet for future generations.
In 2024-2025, the Eurofins Foundation is providing funding to the initiative “From rural to urban: building resilience of local communities through peri-urban agriculture in Cochabamba, Bolivia.”
In Bolivia, the constant growth of urbanisation (75% of the population is urban vs. 45% in 1970) has environmental and social consequences, such as pollution, pressure on natural resources, loss of land and biodiversity, health, loss of traditions, and changes in diet.
Based on a preliminary research study conducted in 2021 and 2022, Humundi’s project aims to increase the resilience of local communities through agriculture in six vulnerable municipalities of the metropolitan area of Cochabamba (1.4 million inhabitants) through five specific actions:
- Improve diet and food quality for vulnerable families of peri-urban areas.
- Improve access and availability of quality products on local markets.
- Raise local communities' awareness (youth in particular) on environmental and food system issues.
- Engage local authorities and other actors through public-private partnerships.
- Improve women's empowerment and shared decision-making within the family.
In 2025, the expected direct beneficiaries are 240 families mostly working informally, along with 600 secondary school pupils, mostly women/girls. Most of the women are also mothers.
In 2025-2026, the Eurofins Foundation is supporting the project “From soil to health – transforming urban agriculture through agroecology and entrepreneurship in Kinshasa.”
Urban agriculture plays a vital role in Kinshasa City-Province, home to a growing population of more than 17 million people. Nearly 80% of vegetables consumed locally come from more than 50,000 market gardeners, predominantly women (Minengu & Ngweme, 2021). This activity is indispensable for daily food supply, yet it is under growing strain from health, environmental, and socio-economic challenges:
- Health and food safety: Current production methods rely heavily on chemical fertilisers and pesticides, including some products banned in Europe. Farmers, often with limited training or literacy, struggle to use these inputs safely. Without protective equipment or adequate knowledge, they are directly exposed to toxic substances, while residues contaminate vegetables, soils, and water. These practices affect both producers’ health and consumers’ food safety.
- Precarious livelihoods: Despite their crucial role, market gardeners work in insecure conditions. High input costs and scarce support services limit productivity, while dependence on informal intermediaries reduces earnings further. Women, who form the majority, are often excluded from decision-making, and face additional barriers in access to land, training, and markets. These factors trap families in cycles of poverty and marginalisation.
- Environmental and climate pressures: Intensive use of chemical inputs is depleting soils, polluting water, and reducing biodiversity in Kinshasa’s peri-urban farming zones. Climate variability (floods, droughts, and irregular rainfall) further undermines productivity and heightens farmers’ vulnerability.
By targeting unsafe practices, fragile livelihoods, and environmental pressures, this initiative aims to provide a practical response tailored to the local context.
The objective of this project, led by Humundi, is to support Liziba Agroecological Centre in its mission to drive a rapid and inclusive transition toward sustainable urban agriculture in Kinshasa by training and mobilising a network of community-based actors. The goal is to lift market gardeners out of poverty while improving public health and ensuring access to safe, healthy food.
Through this grant, Eurofins will help train 936 farmers, cooperative members, students and facilitators on agroecological techniques, composting, input production, waste management, women’s leadership, and more. These trained individuals will disseminate good practices through the community. The Centre will also incubate micro-enterprises led by 60 women and youth, promoting eco-friendly production, transformation, and input supply. Our grant will support combining large-scale capacity building with entrepreneurship, the project aims to contribute to strengthening food system sustainability, gender equity and public health in one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities.
This project contributes to the following United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals
