The theme for this year’s World Food Day is “Leave No One Behind.”
16 October 2022: World Food Day Message, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).
Although we have made progress towards building a better world, too many people have been left behind. People who are unable to benefit from human development, innovation or economic growth.
In fact, millions of people around the world cannot afford a healthy diet, putting them at high risk of food insecurity and malnutrition. But ending hunger isn’t only about supply. Enough food is produced today to feed everyone on the planet.
The problem is access and availability of nutritious food, which is increasingly impeded by multiple challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts, climate change, inequality, rising prices and international tensions. People around the world are suffering the domino effects of challenges that know no borders.
Worldwide, more than 80 per cent of the extreme poor live in rural areas and many rely on agriculture and natural resources for their living. They are usually the hardest hit by natural and man-made disasters and often marginalised due to their gender, ethnic origin, or status. It is a struggle for them to gain access to training, finance, innovation and technologies.
Better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life.
Our globalised world is one where our economies, cultures, and populations are becoming increasingly interconnected. Some of us are vulnerable because of who we are or where we live, but the reality is that we are all fragile. When someone is left behind, a chain is broken. This impacts not only the life of that person, but also ours.
In the face of global crises, global solutions are needed more than ever. By aiming for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, we can transform agrifood systems and build forward better by implementing sustainable and holistic solutions that consider development in the long term, inclusive economic growth, and greater resilience.
Our actions are our future.
A sustainable world is one where everyone counts.
Governments, the private sector, academia, civil society and individuals need to work together in solidarity to prioritise the right of all people to food, nutrition, peace and equality. Indeed, every one of us, including youth, can work towards an inclusive and sustainable future, showing greater empathy and kindness in our actions.
We must all be the change.
Source: FAO, 2022.
