World Food Day

 Have you ever been hungry? Perhaps so hungry you made the comment, "I'm starving!" Each of us at some point in time have skipped a meal or been late to the dinner table with our stomachs growling in anticipation of that first mouthful of food 'til feeling fully satisfied. The question is "Have you ever really experienced starvation?" More than likely, as with me, your hunger was only momentary, which is not the case for everyone.

World Food Day was first introduced in 1945. The reason: to celebrate the launch of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization.

World Food Day gives us an opportunity to consider those who endure harmful, unrelenting hunger—and how we can use our plenty to make a difference for them, both the chronically hungry in our own neighborhoods, and those with even greater physical needs around the world.

The main principle which World Food Day celebrates is the furtherance of food security all over the world, especially in times of crisis. The launch of the Food and Agriculture Organization by the UN has played a huge role in taking this worthy goal forward. Its annual celebration serves as a marker of the importance of this organization and helps to raise awareness of the crucial need for successful agriculture policies to be implemented by governments across the world to ensure there is ample food available for everyone.

In recent years, World Food Day has used its annual day of celebration to focus on different aspects of food security and agriculture, including fishing communities, climate change and biodiversity. 

Climate is Changing is the focus of World Food Day 2016

The 2016 World Food Day theme - Climate is Changing: “Food and Agriculture must too” - has been chosen to raise awareness of growing food in a sustainable way...adopting practices that produce more with less in the same area of land and use natural resources wisely. It focuses world attention on reducing food losses before the final product or retail stage through a number of initiatives including better harvesting, storage, packing, transport, infrastructure, market mechanisms, as well as institutional and legal frameworks.

The world's poorest are being hit hardest by climate change. If we strengthen the resilience of smallholder farmers, we can guarantee food security for the planet's growing global populations and also reduce emissions.

On October 16, World Food Day, join the global movement to end hunger. Be a part of the solution in your community and around the world.
Because when it comes to hunger, the only acceptable number is ZERO.