Foods For A Better Life And A Better Future

“Hunger is still one of the biggest and most solvable problems in the world, but it is possible to end hunger.”- World Food Programme. Around 733 million people are facing hunger in the world due to repeated weather shocks, conflicts, wars, man-made humanitarian crises, economic downturns, inequality, and the pandemic. Everyone has a right to food. Food sustains us. World Food Day is observed on 16 October. This special day is organized by the United Nations in order to raise awareness about hunger around the world. This day serves as a reminder of the need to ensure food security and access to nutritious food for all. It also highlights the importance of sustainable agriculture and food production to address global food challenges. World Food Day is an opportunity to come together as a global community and work towards a world where no one goes to bed hungry. This year's theme is 'foods for a better life and a better future'. The world's farmers produce enough food to feed more than the global population yet, hunger persists. Global hunger impacts the poor and vulnerable most severely, many of whom are agricultural households, reflecting widening inequalities across and within countries. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) states that 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, under nutrition, 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. Additionally, an over-reliance on unhealthy foods can also contribute to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and high cholesterol level. The FAO is critical to the fight to eradicate global hunger. The FAO provides countries with technical assistance on policy and legislation, strengthens governance and monitoring mechanisms, develops capacities and promotes multi stakeholder policy dialogue to transform agrifood systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life for all. The FAO also provide humanitarian and resilience building assistance to the most vulnerable, crisis-hit people and their communities, providing time-critical agricultural support to almost 57 million people in 2023. Access to adequate food is a human right issue. In fact, goal #2 speaks to zero hunger. Globally, hunger persists with nearly 1 in 10 of the world's population facing it in 2022, while 2.4 billion people experienced moderate to severe food insecurity. In the same year, nearly 60 per cent of countries worldwide saw significant increases in food prices due to conflicts and disrupted supply chains. Achieving zero hunger requires intensified efforts to transform food systems towards sustainability, resilience, and equity. Furthermore, accelerating improvements in diets, nutrition, health, and hygiene is crucial to meeting the SDG target of halving the number of children suffering from chronic under nutrition. It is therefore safe to say only when everyone on the planet has access to adequate food we will be able to achieve other human rights as well as the sixteen other Sustainable Development Goals. In many societies a lot of food is wasted while poverty and hunger are pervasive. The development of many children is stunted due to a lack of adequate food resulting in malnutrition and under nutrition. Furthermore, many youngsters are forced on the streets to work and beg and are taken advantage of as they search for food. Inadequate food is a trigger for other social problems in the society such as street children, prostitution and human trafficking. The Weaponization of Food. In 2018, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2417 which condemned deliberate starvation of civilians as a war crime and declared extreme food deprivation a crime against humanity punishable by international sanctions. Greed and selfishness are also part of the catalyst regarding global hunger. The international community must call out price gorging as this serves as yet another barrier to food and proper nutrition. Many wars for example are rooted in the egotistical nature of rulers. Sadly, in numerous scenarios food is oftentimes weaponized as a tool of war. Russia for example has destroyed many farms in Ukraine in its attempt to annex more Ukrainian territory. The on-going conflict in Ukraine is threatening the world’s food system. Ukraine and Russia supply around 30% of global wheat and barley exports. Additionally, over 40% of Ukrainian wheat export goes to Africa, where food shortages are endemic. The list of African countries where food shortage exist is never-ending. The weaponization of food can bring about mass civilian deaths and unthinkable horrors, provoking rightful moral outrage at the prospect of its use. Unfortunately, this pattern is on full display across many parts of the world such as in Gaza, Yemen, Sudan and Haiti. The international community appears muted to the horrors and suffering of those who live, or try to live daily in such parts of the world. On the other hand, some richer nations have over the years deployed food, controversially at times as a political-economic weapon, such as using “Food for Peace” as a diplomatic tool to feed hungry nations and reward politically friendly nations. Global Advocacy Required. On the occasion of World Food Day let us pledge to make certain everyone has sufficient food. Like it or not we are all part of a global community and therefore we must all play our part. As a global community, we all need to get involved. Governments, the private sector, farmers, rural women, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) academia, civil society and individuals need to work together to ensure all people have access to enough diverse, nutritious and safe foods. We all have a role to play to tackle inequality and poverty, make healthy food choices to increase their availability, reduce food waste and protect the environment. Ending hunger means all hands are needed on deck. Ending hunger is about empowering communities and stakeholders in order to create and sustain sustainable solutions. In the words of the Mahatma Gandhi, the world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #WorldFoodDay #WorldFoodDayinJamaica #ZeroHunger #SDGs