TeleFood is FAO's annual campaign of broadcasts, concerts and other events aimed at raising awareness about world hunger and mobilizing resources for hunger-fighting projects.

The TeleFood campaign centres around the observance of World Food Day, marking the founding of FAO on 16 October 1945.

Since its inception in 1997, the TeleFood initiative has collected more than US$9 million. It has financed over 1000 TeleFood projects in more than 100 countries around the world.

Donations received for TeleFood go directly, without administrative costs, to poor farmers to help them achieve the capacity to produce more and better food for their families.

TeleFood gives poor farmers the tools to grow crops, raise livestock and fish, process food to sell it at a better price. The money goes to seeds and fertilizers, to irrigation pumps, silos or fish smoking ovens.

The maximum cost of a project is US$10 000. Although small in scale and cost, they make a significant impact. Students in a primary school in Uganda can have lunch thanks to donations that helped them create a vegetable and fruit garden. Unemployed women and out-of-school youths in Cotabato, Philippines, have learned to increase crop yields with organic farming techniques.

Just US$40 buys a bee colony that produces 15 kilos of honey per year. With US$125 a farmer can purchase a pump to irrigate 2,500 square metres of vegetable crops. Around US$300 buys 60 farmers enough seeds to plant a 20 hectare field of vegetables.

Nearly half of the TeleFood funds collected go to projects involving women and young people.

Celebrities, school children, farmers, communities and individuals from all over the world support TeleFood, contributing their voices and their time to the fight against hunger.

It is easy for all to support TeleFood. One can promote activities, sponsor a TeleFood awareness-raising event or donate money to the small-scale projects.