World Food Day, celebrated annually on October 16, is a global event that offers a poignant reminder of the vital role food plays in our lives and the urgent need to address global food security.
Established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 1979, World Food Day provides an opportunity to raise awareness about issues related to hunger, malnutrition, and sustainable agriculture.
It also emphasises the significance of global cooperation in ensuring a world where everyone has access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food.
Grounded in key social justice principles such as solidarity, common good, participation and the universal destination of goods, this day serves as a call to action for the betterment of humanity and the planet.
The Global Food Challenge
Today, the world’s population stands at over 7.9 billion, and it continues to grow. As the global populace expands, the challenge of ensuring food security becomes increasingly complex.
It’s estimated that more than nine per cent of the world’s population is undernourished, and millions more suffer from malnutrition or food insecurity. To meet the needs of this ever-growing population while adhering to the key social justice principles mentioned earlier, we must produce more food while addressing several interconnected challenges.
Hunger
Despite advancements in agricultural productivity and food distribution, hunger remains a persistent issue. World Food Day serves as a reminder that approximately nine per cent of the world’s population does not have access to enough food to lead a healthy and active life.
Promoting the common good means recognising that access to food is a basic human right, and addressing hunger is a moral imperative for the benefit of all.
Malnutrition
Malnutrition takes multiple forms, including undernutrition, overnutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies. Ensuring access to nutritious food is not just a matter of global well-being but is also in line with the universal destination of goods, which suggests that the Earth’s resources are intended for the good of all, not just a few.
Food waste
A staggering one-third of the world’s food production goes to waste. Addressing food waste is not only an ethical concern but also an environmental one. Reducing waste can alleviate pressure on ecosystems, conserve resources, and mitigate climate change. It is also an expression of solidarity with those who go without.
The importance of sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture lies at the core of World Food Day’s message, aligning with the universal destination of goods. To address the global food challenge and safeguard the planet’s future, it’s imperative that we adopt sustainable farming practices. These practices encompass a range of approaches, including:
- Conservation Agriculture: This method promotes minimal soil disturbance, crop rotation, and the use of cover crops to reduce soil erosion and maintain soil health, ensuring the long-term welfare of the land for the common good.
- Organic Farming: Organic farming avoids synthetic pesticides and fertilisers, emphasising natural processes and the importance of soil and ecosystem health, in harmony with the universal destination of goods.
- Agroecology: Agroecology integrates ecological principles into farming practices, aiming to create diverse and resilient agroecosystems that serve the common good of both present and future generations.
- Precision Agriculture: Utilising technology and data, precision agriculture allows farmers to optimise resource use, minimise waste, and enhance crop yields, a practice that respects the efficient use of resources for the common good.
Empowering farmers and eradicating poverty
Smallholder farmers, who often operate on small plots of land and lack access to resources, play a pivotal role in global food production. Empowering these farmers is essential to addressing the world’s food security challenges. It demonstrates solidarity while allowing these farmers to participate in the economic and social life of society.
World Food Day encourages measures such as:
- Access to resources: Providing smallholder farmers with land tenure security, access to credit, and modern agricultural technologies can significantly improve their productivity.
- Education and Training: Investing in education and training programmes for farmers helps enhance their skills and knowledge, making them more capable of adopting sustainable farming practices.
- Market Access: Ensuring smallholder farmers have access to markets enables them to sell their products at fair prices, contributing to their economic stability.
- Gender Equality: Recognising the important role women play in agriculture and ensuring their rights and opportunities are equal to those of men is a vital aspect of empowering smallholder farmers.
World Food Day serves as an annual reminder of the global food challenge we face and the need for sustainable, equitable, and inclusive solutions. By focusing on sustainable agriculture, reducing food waste, and empowering smallholder farmers, we can collectively work towards a world where no one goes to bed hungry, where food is not wasted, and where the planet’s resources are conserved for future generations.
Let us renew our commitment to nourishing the world, sustaining the future, and working together to build a more food-secure and sustainable world for all.
By Chevelle Gollop – Social Media Officer, CCSJ/AMMR
