This blog post by acclaimed chef Mary Sue Milliken originally appeared on Civil Eats. A dedicated Oxfam supporter, Milliken also contributed a recipe to the new issue of OxfamCloseup, our member magazine.

Mary Sue Milliken, pictured at an Oxfam event in 2012, is the co-chef/owner of Border Grill Restaurants in Los Angeles. Photo: Ilene Perlman/Oxfam America

It’s no surprise that the Mayans kept chocolate a secret for so long. There are few foods that illicit the kind of response chocolate does, whether it takes the form of a candy bar, a moist cake, or a warm brownie. I love creating decadent chocolate desserts, especially “Hidden Kisses”:  unevenly broken chunks of dark, rich chocolate wrapped in buttery, crisp shortbread.  They work some real magic on just about everyone.

As a chef, I am always on a quest for the best ingredients. When it comes to chocolate, I have tried it from near and far; some made with cocoa from Ecuador, others from Mexico or Ghana. What a luxury it is to have all these delicious and versatile chocolates at our fingertips.

Recently, as I was preparing my “hidden kisses” and nibbling on an intensely fruity Madagascar chocolate, I got to wondering – who is growing the magical cacao fruit that became this powerfully delicious chocolate?  Because of my work with Oxfam, I have become aware of the injustices in our global food system.  And although I love my chocolate, I hate injustice. (Civil Eats has reported previously on this issue here and here.)

As it turns out, most cocoa farmers and workers who are key to our delicious chocolate delights live below the poverty line, earning less than $2 a day. Worse yet, many cocoa-growing areas have high rates of hunger and malnutrition. Women play an indispensable role in the quality of cocoa in many countries, but it is usually men who sell the crops to traders and control the cash received as payment.

In West Africa, where most of the world’s cocoa comes from, women do nearly half of the labor on cocoa farms but own just a quarter of the land. Women often have fewer economic opportunities and, as workers, are often paid less than men. Cocoa farmers in Nigeria told Oxfam that women are paid $2 to $3 for a day’s work, while men earn about $7 a day.

The enormous demand for chocolate has drawn millions of women into employment as farm workers in poor countries.  Although this is great for fueling growth, their toil is not lifting them or their families out of poverty.  Women face inequality, unfair pay and hunger in cocoa supply chains all over the world. These not so sweet facts about cocoa are taking the richness and flavor right out of my chocolate.

As consumers, we are directly connected to the farmers that grow the crops we count on and the companies that bring us our favorite products.  Each of our actions can affect countless people.  While it may seem that we can’t change any of this injustice, the fact is we can.

Read the rest of this entry »

Women pounding millet in Kalbiron, in eastern Senegal. Photo by Brett Eloff/Oxfam America.

Eastern Senegal is hot and dusty in May. The wind swirls into spiraling dust devils, stirring up the dirt and dead leaves, whirling drunkenly through the bush before disappearing up into the clear, cloudless blue sky. The inescapable heat feels like opening up a hot oven, when the heat blasts into your face. Except it’s like that all day, and you can’t ever close the oven door.

In Tambacounda, at a small village called Kalbiron, farmers are nervously awaiting the rains, preparing their fields, and thinking about the growing season. After they amass their savings, borrow money, and plant the seeds they saved from the last harvest, few will have much left over to get them through the growing months. Read the rest of this entry »

Cocoa farmer Adelaju Olaleye leans against the wall of her house in Oke-Agbede Isale, a village in Nigeria’s southwestern cocoa-growing region. Photo: George Osodi/Panos for Oxfam America

Sweet news today for chocolate lovers: the biggest chocolate maker in the world, Mondelez International, has agreed to take steps to address inequality facing women in their cocoa supply chains—thanks to pressure from customers like you.

More than 100,000 people around the world joined Oxfam’s campaign, signing petitions and taking action to urge Mondelez and its competitors to tackle the hunger, poverty, and unequal pay facing many women cocoa farmers and workers. You also made your voices heard by sending messages to the companies on Facebook and Twitter.

One of the images posted to Mondelez’s Facebook page by Oxfam supporters. Pictured: Amir Gorjifard of the Oxfam Club at Grinnell College. Photo: Mary Zheng

Today’s announcement by Mondelez follows commitments last month by Mars and Nestlé to address these issues. Together, Mars, Mondelez, and Nestlé buy more than 30 percent of the world’s cocoa—so changes in their policies could have huge effects for cocoa farmers and their families.

“Empowering women cocoa farmers has the potential to improve the lives of millions of people, some of whom are earning less than $2 a day,” said Judy Beals, manager of Oxfam’s Behind the Brands campaign. “We hope that the steps taken by Mars, Mondelez, and Nestlé offer an example to the rest of the food and beverage industry that consumers are paying attention to how companies impact the communities they work in.”

Mars, Mondelez, and Nestlé are now taking the first steps to commit to the empowerment of women and to find out how women are being treated in their supply chains. All have agreed to publish the data from first stage impact assessments in one year’s time and to publish concrete action plans to address the issues. Mondelez will also sign on to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles later this month, becoming the first of the three major chocolate companies to do so. Learn more about companies’ commitments.

Oxfam will make sure that these companies stick to their promises, but we can’t do it without you. We’ll put out progress reports so consumers and supporters can keep track and hold Mars, Mondelez, and Nestle to their word. You can also stay informed and take further actions through Oxfam’s Behind the Brands scorecard; we’ll be updating this online tool in real time so you can see how the giant companies that make your favorite brands (chocolate and otherwise) measure up.

A community of 1,367 families were uprooted from central Phnom Penh in June 2006 and forcibly relocated to open swamp land in Andong, 13 miles from the city and their livelihoods.

Why? To make way for a shopping mall that is yet to be built.

Acclaimed photographer Emma Hardy traveled to Cambodia to capture the story of this community and others, fighting to reclaim their rights to own, inhabit, and work the land they once owned. She describes what she saw in Andong slum:

“Seven years on, these families are still waiting for public services. Their latrine is an open field. Water for washing and cooking is piped in rickety plastic hoses at uncertain times of day and stored in large open earthenware jars standing in shockingly-polluted water. In the rainy seasons most makeshift homes are practically submerged in sewage water. In drier months, the stench is overwhelming. Dysentery is rife. Dengue fever and cholera are chronic. These relocated communities have not, to date, received ‘even one grain of rice in compensation.’”

Below are five photos from Hardy, some of which will be featured in a pop-up gallery exhibit in Washington, DC, from April 10^th to the 21^st. (See invite here.) The exhibit was created in support of Oxfam’s efforts to bring attention to global land grabs and was first featured in The Economist’s Intelligent Life magazine.

The pictures speak for themselves.

(1) Street view, Andong slum

(2) Woman collecting water snails for food

(3) Slum dog

(4) Sor Sat, Executive Director of the Cambodian non-profit, Action for Environment and Communities, after a long meeting

(5) Daughter of land activists at a meeting

Around the world, a rush to grab land is underway. Land the size of the California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico combined was sold off globally in the last decade, enough to grow food for the one billion people who go hungry today.

The World Bank influences how land is bought and sold on a global scale. It has the power to step in and play a vital role in stopping land injustice.

Now, just before the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings, encourage the World Bank to take action to halt the speed and scale of land grabbing around the world. Let them know the world is watching. Add your voice here.

Which companies are actually behind the food and drinks we buy every day? Most of us would like to know the answers—but, unlike nutrition information, they’re not always written on the label. That’s why thousands of you have commented on and shared Oxfam’s new infographic (below; click to enlarge) making the connections between big companies and some very familiar brands.

Those 10 companies in the middle are now the biggest food and beverage companies in the world. Together, they generate revenues of more than $1.1 billion a day. They also employ millions of people in poor countries, directly and indirectly, to grow and produce their products. Because of their global reach and influence, these companies could play a big role in reducing poverty, hunger, and inequality. But right now, they’re not doing enough.

Oxfam spent 18 months looking closely at how the “big 10” say they do business. Then we created an easy-to-use scorecard—a “behind the brands” look—comparing and contrasting their policies and commitments. We discovered that all 10 need to do a whole lot more to support farmers, communities, and our planet. You’ll find more information about their scores below, along with some surprising connections to everyday products that are probably staples in your grocery cart.

One thing to remember, though: you don’t need to stop buying these products in order to make a difference. Instead, make your voice heard. Check out the Behind the Brands scorecard. Get the facts. Then use your power as a consumer to tell companies exactly what needs to change. After all, no company is too big to listen to its customers.

1. Skinny Cow, owned by Nestlé

These low-guilt desserts are just one of many brands owned by Nestlé, the company behind Nestlé Crunch, Nescafe, and a host of other products. Among the companies on Oxfam’s Behind the Brands scorecard, Nestlé is near the top; it leads the way on climate change and water usage, and is the most transparent. A failure to condemn land grabs and to support women in its supply chains prevent it from being a true sector leader on policy, though. Find out more and send Nestlé a message here.

2. Tropicana, owned by PepsiCo

Who doesn’t drink a glass of OJ now and then, especially in the winter when colds and flu are rampant? The “Florida sunshine” brand is actually owned by PepsiCo, which owns not only Pepsi but Quaker Oats, Doritos, and many other common brands. PepsiCo fizzes in the top half of Oxfam’s scorecard, particularly for its water policies, but still falls flat on land use, the treatment of women, and transparency. Find out more about PepsiCo’s score and send them a message here.

3. Ben & Jerry’s, owned by Unilever

For me, this was the biggest surprise—that the quirky, hippie, eco-friendly ice-cream brand is owned by Unilever, a mega-company that also owns Lipton, Slim-Fast, and all kinds of other products. Near the top of Oxfam’s Behind the Brands scorecard, Unilever scores well on its policies supporting small-scale farmers, workers’ rights, and managing water usage, but its record on women’s rights and land rights leaves plenty to be desired. Ask Unilever to do better by sending a message here.

4. Oreos, owned by Mondelez International

Whether you like cookie or the crème, you may not know that “America’s favorite cookie” is actually owned by Mondelez International, the giant company behind Toblerone, Chips Ahoy, and other chocolate delights. Unfortunately, Oxfam’s scorecard found that Mondelez’ business behavior is less than sweet: their policies score poorly on climate change and water, and could do more for women’s rights, workers’ rights, and land use, though there are some positives around farmers. Take action here to ask Mondelez to do better.

5. Dasani, owned by Coca-Cola

This popular bottled water is owned by one of the most well-known companies in the world: Coca-Cola. Even if soda isn’t your thing, you’ve probably bought one of Coke’s beverages recently, whether it was Odwalla juice or Vitamin Water. Not quite the real thing on Oxfam’s scorecard, Coke scores higher on policies related to worker’s rights, climate change, transparency and the treatment of women, but is left trailing the top companies due to poor performance on land rights and support for farmers. Learn more about Coke’s score and take action here.

6. Twinings, owned by Associated British Foods

A long-ago job at a café introduced me to the delights of oolong tea, and this classic British tea brand makes one of the best oolongs around. It’s owned by Associated British Foods (ABF), which scores poorly on Oxfam’s scorecard for its policies assessing impact on food producers, communities, and the planet, and does even worse on supporting women and land rights, as well as responding to climate change. They are making progress on transparency and workers’ rights, but, overall, they could try harder. A lot harder.  Explore the issues and ask ABF to do better here.

7. M&M’s, owned by Mars

These tiny, colorful chocolates are so iconic, you don’t even need to see the signature “M” to recognize them pretty much anywhere. Mars, the company behind M&M’s, Snickers, Three Musketeers, and many other candies that graced the Halloweens of my childhood, is neither horrific nor heroic on Oxfam’s scorecard. They score poorly in terms of supporting women and protecting land rights, but fare better when it comes to their policies on transparency and recognizing issues faced by small-scale farmers. Learn more about Mars’ scores and take action here.

8. Dannon, owned by Danone

We are huge yogurt fans in my household, so we buy a lot of Dannon products. The company behind Dannon is actually the similarly-named Danone, which seems to have the yogurt market cornered with brands like Oikos, Stonyfield, Light & Fit, and more. So how does the dairy giant perform on Oxfam’s scorecard? The good news is that Danone’s policies are above average on water and transparency. But the bad news is that it lacks any commitment to supporting women, farmers or land rights. Send Danone a message here and ask them to do better.

9. Old El Paso, owned by General Mills

This brand’s yellow and red logo is a big presence on grocery store shelves; most of us have bought their tacos, salsas, or tortillas at one time or another. The big 10 company behind Old El Paso is actually General Mills, owner of brands ranging from Cheerios to Nature Valley. Oxfam’s Behind the Brands scorecard found that General Mills has a limited understanding on water but no commitment to food producers, land rights, or tackling climate change, and no anti-biofuel advocacy. Learn more and send General Mills a message here.

10. Special K, owned by Kellogg’s

Okay, you probably knew that Special K cereal is owned by Kellogg’s—no secret there. But did you know that Kellogg’s also owns Corn Flakes, Pop-tarts, and tons of other breakfast-y brands (including one of my favorites, Kashi)? Oxfam’s scorecard found that Kellogg’s policies on land rights, worker’s rights, and support for small-scale producers are distinctly lacking in snap, crackle, and pop. It is at least more transparent about its business than some other companies, however. Learn more and send Kellogg’s a message here.

Photo: Holly Pickett/Oxfam America

Sadio Danfakha washes her hands with a tippy-tap, a low-cost, low-tech plastic container used to promote hand washing in places with no running water. Oxfam and our partner AKAD distributed tippy-taps along with soap and bleach (to treat drinking water) as part of our humanitarian program to help people suffering from a dramatic food shortage in 2011-2012.

When I met Danfakha in Senegal last October, she said she had been working closely with Wally Cissokho of AKAD, who is in charge of promoting good hygiene practices as a means to avoid diseases.  “We teach people how to use the hygiene kits, and sometime I show them how to use the kits when Wally is not there.”

Danfakha says that when people starting using the tippy-taps and treated water there were fewer cases of diarrhea in her village, Biatilaye. “We now wash our hands before eating, and we wash our clothes more now. Before, it was hard to get soap to wash our hands, but then Wally came and it is now easier to get soap.”

She says she decided to help promote better hygiene in her village as a volunteer. “I have been going with Wally to distribute the hygiene kits. I do it just to help, because we are all neighbors, and I like to help others.”

“It was not a long time ago that my husband passed away. So I am taking the opportunity to help other people instead of sitting home all alone in the house.”

How much food does your household go through in a week? What are your go-to family meals? And how much do you spend on food? You can get a glimpse of how others answered these questions in Oxfam’s new photo series, which depicts people from around the globe with one week’s food supply for their families.

Building on an idea that originated with 2005′s  Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, the new images feel especially timely now, when reports about half of the world’s food going to waste vie for space with news about rising global food prices. According to a recent article accompanying some of the photos in the UK Independent, “There is deep injustice in the way food is grown and distributed … the world’s poorest people spend 50-90 percent of their income on food, compared with just 10-15 percent in developed countries.”

As you can probably guess, the families’ diets differ depending on where they live. But if if there’s one common thread that links these images, it’s that we all have to eat. We all face challenges and successes when it comes to feeding our families. And we can all help to make the food system fairer for everyone.

So check out seven highlights below. Then tell us in the comments: What does your week’s food supply look like? How does your family measure up?

Shahveller, Azerbaijan

Photo: David Levene/Oxfam

Mirza Bakhishov, 47, his wife, Zarkhara, 37, and two sons, Khasay, 18 and Elchin, 15, own a small plot of land where they grow cotton and wheat as well as animal feed. “Our small cattle and poultry [are] everything for us. All our income and livelihood is dependent on them,” said Bakhishov.

Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

Photo: Abir Abdullah/Oxfam

Selvern, 70, far right, and her daughters have been members of Oxfam’s local dairy cooperative for four years. Her youngest daughter Sukitha, second from right, works at the cooperative and is also trained as a vet. Selvern gets up at 5:30 every morning to help her daughters milk their cows; she sends most of the milk to the co-op with Sukitha and uses the remainder to make cream and ghee for the family.

Mecha, Ethiopia

Photo: Tom Pietrasik/Oxfam

A week’s food supply for Wubalem Shiferaw, her husband Tsega, and 4-year-old daughter Rekebki includes flour, vegetable oil, and a paste of spices called berbere. Tsega works as a tailor, while Wubalem follows a long local tradition and supplements her income with honey production. An Oxfam-supported cooperative helped Wubalem make the transition to modern beekeeping methods, which produce greater yields.

Yegeghus, Armenia

Photo: Abbie Trayler-Smith/Panos

The Josephyan family from with their weekly food supply, which includes wheat flour, dried split peas, sugar, and cooking oil. The family supplements their diet with eggs laid by their chickens and wild greens from the fields.

London, UK

Photo: Abbie Trayler-Smith/Oxfam

Ian Kerr, 30, with his family and a week’s food supplied by a charity food bank. Ian left his job to become a full-time carer to his disabled son Jay-J, 12. Also pictured are his daughter Lillian, 5, and mother-in-law Linda, 61. Kerr says the family’s favorite food is spaghetti Bolognese, but Lillian says her favorite is Jaffa Cakes.

Kaftarkhana, Tajikistan

Photo: Andy Hall/Oxfam

BiBi-Faiz Miralieba and her family, from left to right: son Siyoushi, 11, niece Gulnoya Shdova, 14, and children Jomakhon, 6, Shodmon, 9, and Jamila,13. Like many women in rural areas of Tajikistan, Miralieba is now the head of her household as her husband has migrated to Russia to find work.

Gutu, Zimbabwe

Photo: Annie Bungeroth/Oxfam

Ipaishe Masvingise and her family with their food for the week, which includes grains and groundnuts as well as fruits like pawpaw and oranges. Masvingise, a farmer, said she sells extra grain from her harvests to pay for school fees and medical costs, and to support members of her extended family who don’t own their own land.

Saliou Diallo works in his maize field. He used some cash from Oxfam to buy food for his family during the lean time while he was growing his crop. Photo by Holly Pickett/Oxfam America.

Before completely turning my back on 2012, I am reflecting on Oxfam’s work in the Sahel over the last year. After a season of poor or erratic rains across the region in 2011, Oxfam and many other humanitarian groups feared that another bad harvest in 2012 would push millions into starvation. I visited farmers in far eastern Senegal in April of 2012 to see what they recommended: They wanted seeds so they could plant, and food so they could work. They also said they needed rain, never guaranteed in the Sahel.

Oxfam responded to the crisis in seven countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, The Gambia, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, and Senegal. We assisted more than 1 million people with a variety of programs tailored to the specific location: We helped people fleeing violence and instability in Mali get the food and clean water they needed to survive. Oxfam repaired wells, and provided fodder for animals, and paid people to work on erosion control and soil improvement projects. We distributed soap so people could keep clean, and the means to treat water, to reduce vulnerability to waterborne diseases. We distributed food in places where none was available, and money to buy it where it was.

Thankfully, there was decent rain across the region in 2012. Harvests were up; many farmers with the seeds, tools, traction, fertilizer, labor, and other key inputs were able to grow something. However many farmers had to sell what they grew to pay back debts. Others could not grow much, if anything, for the simple reason that they are impoverished. When I went back to the same area in October, one farmer told me he could not farm an area large enough to feed his family. “I don’t have any equipment,” he said. “I don’t own a plow, any machines for processing groundnuts or rice, or a horse. I can only carry heavy loads on my head. It’s not easy. “

Read the rest of this entry »

Classmates Merline Jacques, right, and Soeurette Charles. “We’re really proud to be agricultural mechanics,” said Charles. Photo: Anna Fawcus/Oxfam America

When a massive earthquake struck Haiti in January, 2010, it shone a spotlight on the need to ease the dangerous overcrowding of the capital city of Port-au-Prince. So, after responding to the disaster with emergency programs, Oxfam shifted some of our focus to the countryside. Together with our partners, we ramped up our program to reinvigorate the rice economy of the Artibonite Valley, with the goals of reducing rural poverty, contributing to food security in Haiti, and—by making rice farming more viable—counteracting the continuous pull to migrate from the country to the city. As Oxfam’s Elizabeth Stevens reports, Haiti’s rice farmers are embracing the program and making it their own.

“Some of my women friends don’t like the idea of being in grease all day,” said Merline Jacques, a young woman I met in the town of Liancourt in the Artibonite Valley. But she doesn’t seem to mind.

Jacques is a pioneer—a woman setting out to become a professional mechanic in a country where such a thing is unheard of. She’s one of five female students in a class of forty who are taking a two-year course to learn not only mechanics but also a specialty within it: how to fix agricultural equipment.

“People have said that the Artibonite region alone could feed this whole country,” explained Chandelère Mayette, who helps run the course for an Oxfam partner. “But there’s a lack of technicians in agriculture.”

And that is costing farmers dearly. These days, getting a piece of equipment like a cultivator, rice mill, or irrigation pump fixed can take weeks, because the mechanics often have to be recruited from the Dominican Republic. A delay like that can ruin a season’s harvest, so training up young mechanics is an important part of strengthening the rice economy.

Read the rest of this entry »

MAFLPV founder Marie Melisma Robert (right) with members of her organization, standing in a field of rice. Oxfam has helped MAFLPV members make the transition to a high-yield growing technique. Photo: Anna Fawcus/Oxfam

When a massive earthquake struck Haiti in January, 2010, it shone a spotlight on the need to ease the dangerous overcrowding of the capital city of Port-au-Prince. So, after responding to the disaster with emergency programs, Oxfam shifted some of our focus to the countryside. Together with our partners, we ramped up our program to reinvigorate the rice economy of the Artibonite Valley, with the goals of reducing rural poverty, contributing to food security in Haiti, and—by making rice farming more viable—counteracting the continuous pull to migrate from the country to the city. As Oxfam’s Elizabeth Stevens reports in a series of blog posts, Haiti’s rice farmers are embracing the program and making it their own.

My first meeting with a women’s group in Haiti was on a pitch-black night. At first there were just a few of us sitting on a porch, our faces lit by the eerie glow of a solar lamp, but every few minutes a new arrival emerged from the darkness, and soon the crowd was spilling out into the yard.

The Mouvement d’Aide des Femmes Liancourt-Payen de la commune de Verrettes (MAFLPV) is a key partner for Oxfam in the rice-growing Artibonite Valley. It’s a women’s organization that provides its members with access to low-interest loans so they can successfully market rice and whatever other goods they want to sell.

“We used to go to loan sharks when we needed money,” said Marie Melisma Robert, the founder and president of MAFLPV. She explained that the local moneylenders charge monthly interest of 25%. “When we couldn’t pay back the loans, we were arrested.” Now the women have access to credit at three percent – which can spell the difference between a successful business and spiraling debt.

Read the rest of this entry »