Over the winter, Glenlea-area farmer Will Bergmann was in India, to see first hand some of the work being done by the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB).
For five years now, he and a group of farmers in the area have taken part in the Chip-In grow project using land designated by the University of Manitoba.
"It's been a passion of mine for a while now, to feed people," says Bergmann. "Getting to go on a trip was incredible. I got to see firsthand exactly where those funds are going."
It was a mindblowing experience, says Bergmann, but nothing could prepare him for what he saw.
"I've been around poverty, and I've travelled, but this was something totally different."
India has the highest rates of malnutrition globally. Bergmann says he always associated malnutrition with hunger, but now realizes the two are very different. He notes, for the most part, the people had food, but it wasn't nutritious.
Bergmann says a significant amount of monocropping was occurring, with a large focus on rice for generations. Now through the work of CFGB, lentils, chickpeas, mustard, among other crops are being grown.
However, another vital element being taught is kitchen gardens.