World Food Day 2024-‘Right to foods for a better life and a better future’

History of World Food Day

World Food Day was established in 1945 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations. But it would be another 34 years before it was recognized as a world holiday at the 20th FAO conference in November 1979. Following this, 150 countries proceeded to celebrate the day once it gained its official recognition by the United Nations. Since 2014, the popularity of the day has been used to promote the idea of feeding the world and eliminating poverty in rural nations.

The main principle World Food Day celebrates is the furtherance of food security all over the globe, 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.

source: https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/world-food-day/

The world's farmers produce enough food to feed more than the global population yet, hunger persists. Around 733 million people are facing hunger in the world due to repeated weather shocks, conflicts, economic downturns, inequality, and the pandemic. This impacts the poor and vulnerable most severely, many of whom are agricultural households, reflecting widening inequalities across and within countries.?

Food is the third most basic human need after air and water everyone should have the right to adequate food. Human rights such as the right to food, life and liberty, work and education are recognised by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and two legally binding international covenants.??

So why does World Food Day talk about FOODS?

‘Foods’ stands for diversity, nutrition, affordability, accessibility and safety. A greater diversity of nutritious foods should be available in our fields, fishing nets, markets, and on our tables, for the benefit of all.?

Over 2.8 billion people in the world are unable to afford a healthy diet. Unhealthy diets are the leading cause of all forms of malnutrition – undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and obesity, which now exist in most countries, cutting across socio-economic classes. Yet today, too many people suffer from hunger and are unable to afford healthy diets. More vulnerable people are often forced to rely on staple foods or less expensive foods that can be unhealthy, while others suffer from the unavailability of fresh or varied foods, lack the information they need to choose a healthy diet, or simply opt for convenience.?

Hunger and malnutrition are further exacerbated by protracted or prolonged crises that are driven by a combination of conflict, extreme weather events and economic shocks. Agrifood systems, as a whole, are vulnerable to disasters and crises, particularly the impacts of climate change but at the same time, they are generating pollution, degrading soil, water and air, and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity loss. By transforming agrifood systems, there is great potential to mitigate climate change and support peaceful, resilient and inclusive livelihoods for all.

source: https://www.fao.org/world-food-day/about/en