In a persistent effort to eradicate hunger across the globe, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has themed this year’s edition of the World Food Day“Our Actions Are Our Future. Healthy Diets for A #ZeroHunger World”

The World Food Day, celebrated every 16th of October, is observed internationally as a day to raise global awareness for those suffering from severe hunger and foster the course towards ensuring food security and nutritious diets for everyone.

This year, the event focuses on addressing food loss and wastage and promoting family farming across the globe. It also calls for action across sectors to make healthy and sustainable diets affordable and accessible to all.

“In our world of plenty, one person in nine does not have enough to eat”, were the words of the United Nations’ Secretary General, António Guterres, while marking the World Food Day .

Consolidating this year’s theme, UN Chief notes that, “our actions are our future”, while stating that the UN and its partners have launched information campaigns globally, to ensure that achieving zero hunger by 2030 becomes a possibility, provided “we join forces”

For the FAO, it is shining the spotlight on food loss and wastage. In it’s annual State of Food and Agriculture report published on Monday, the food agency revealed that an estimated one third of food is loss or wasted globally, as it moves from where it is produced to where it is eaten.

“How can we allow food to be thrown away when more than 820 million people in the world continue to go hungry every day?” FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu posed.

Inciting a call to action, Dongyu stated, “As we strive to make progress towards reducing food loss and waste, we can only be effective if our efforts are informed by a solid understanding of the problem.”

To further mark the World Food Day, The World Food Prize (WFP) will take center stage in Des Moines, Iowa USA, from October 16th – 18th. The event will include the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue and the World Food Prize Laureate Award Presentation.

The WFP honors the works of great agricultural scientists and stakeholders working to end hunger and improve the food supply and also to highlight and inspire breakthrough achievements in improving the quality, quantity and availability of food in the world.

SOURCE: AGRONIGERIA