Published on Oct 18, 2020
World Food Day Campaign : World Food Day is an international day celebrated every year around the world on 16 October in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945.
World Food Day 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of FAO in an exceptional moment as countries around the world deal with the widespread effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a time to look into the future we need to build together.
1. Challenge yourself to buy a basket of ecological produce to hand out to workmates & friends on the day.
2. Host a lunch or dinner, featuring ecologically produced food.
3. Support someone in need by cooking an ecological meal to give away.
4. Get your hands dirty. Challenge yourself to visit a farm or community garden, and donate 1 hour of your time.
5. Keep on using your power to fix the broken food system
Work with your students to create posters that illustrate their visions of #ZeroHunger. Scan or photograph the posters and submit them to the Unites Nations Food and Agriculture Organization World Food Day poster contest. Don’t forget that entries are due by October 19th!
Show the Hungry Planet photos to your students in class. Discuss the differences in what families eat in other nations. What trends do your students notice? What surprises them?
Learn about Heifer’s Tanzania School Milk Program and download the Milk Money resources. Your class can learn more about Tanzania, nutrition and students who are benefitting form the program. Then brainstorm with your students how they can raise ‘Milk Money’ to deliver nutritious milk to students in need.
Make #WorldFoodDay your day – share your individual action online or join the call by developing a virtual event or activity.
World Food Day is calling for global solidarity to help all populations, and especially the most vulnerable, to recover from the crisis, and to make food systems more resilient and robust so they can withstand increasing volatility and climate shocks, deliver affordable and sustainable healthy diets for all, and decent livelihoods for food system workers.
Hunger, obesity, environmental degradation, loss of agro-biological diversity, food loss and waste and a lack of security for food chain workers are only some of the issues that underline this imbalance. As countries begin to develop and implement COVID-19 recovery plans, it is an opportunity to adopt innovative solutions based on scientific evidence so they can build back better and improve food systems, making them more resistant to shocks.
We all have a role to play to realize the vision of a world without hunger and malnutrition. We must not let sustainable habits fall by the wayside in times of crisis. We can make healthy food choices. We can do our part to reduce waste. We can advocate for governments, enterprises, and organizations to share knowledge and support sustainable, resilient food systems and livelihoods. Together, we can grow, nourish, and sustain our world.
• More than 2 billion people do not have regular access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food.
• About 135 million people across 55 countries experience acute hunger requiring urgent food, nutrition, and livelihoods assistance.
• The global population is expected to reach almost 10 billion by 2050, significantly increasing the demand for food.
• Approximately 14% of the food produced for consumption globally each year is lost before reaching the wholesale market.
• If our food systems are not transformed, undernourishment and malnutrition will greatly increase by 2050. The consequences could worsen due to income inequality, unemployment, or poor access to services.
• More than 3 billion people in the world lack access to the Internet, most of them in rural and remote areas. Smallholder farmers need greater access to innovation, technology, finance and training to improve their livelihoods.
• Intensified food production, combined with climate change, is causing a rapid loss of biodiversity. Currently, only nine plant species account for 66 % of total food crop production.
• Poor diets and sedentary lifestyles have led to soaring obesity rates, not only in developed countries, but also low-income countries, where hunger and obesity often coexist. No region is exempt.
Private businesses should invest in sustainable, resilient food systems which offer decent employment.
• Companies should develop, adapt, and share technologies that help to transform food systems.
• Private sector food businesses and retailers should make sustainable food choices attractive, available, and affordable.
• Companies should develop plans to minimize food losses and waste in production and processing and use or share excess stocks and food surpluses.
• Companies should respect national regulations and measures to protect food safety, food quality and the wellbeing of staff along the entire food chain, especially in developing countries.
• Digital sector companies can help to build the resilience of food chains. They can develop, adapt, and share technologies to address transport, supply and demand issues, and help to smooth temporary shortages or surpluses.
• Food companies, including e-commerce firms, can embrace or share new technologies to manage supplies, especially highly perishable goods.
• In times of crisis, banks and financial institutions can help farmers with outstanding loans by considering measures like waiving fees, extending payment due dates, or offering alternative repayment plans.
• Large, healthy enterprises can help to insulate supply chains and consider extending credit to help smaller businesses stay afloat.
• Companies can share expertise or technologies with public and other private entities to help improve sustainable food production and livelihoods. Mobile apps and other digital tools can help tackle challenges ranging from climate change and crop pests to pandemics.
• Companies should be mindful of their impact on natural resources and adopt a sustainable approach.
