“Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development 1”.
Introduction
“There are people in the world so hungry that God cannot appear to them except in the form of Bread”. – Mahatma Gandhi
World food day is a day dedicated to overcome Global hunger. Food is a basic and fundamental human right and is an essential part of everybody’s day to day life. It gives us energy and nutrients to grow and develop. To stay healthy, we need all the nutrients in our diet in correct quantities-this is what we meant by a balanced diet.
Many people in the developing world are enjoying this privilege while on the other side many people are suffering from malnutrition; in short “HUNGER”. According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) 795 million people of the 7.3 billion people in the world or one in nine were suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2014-20162.
In India
India is the second-most populous country in the world. India has attained steady growth in the economy and achieved self sufficiency in grain production in recent years. But the heartbreaking fact is that India is home to a quarter of all undernourished people worldwide, making the country a key focus for tackling hunger on a global scale. According to FAO estimates in ‘The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, 2017’ report, 190.7 million people are undernourished in India3.
Food loss and food waste
The world produces enough food to feed everyone, yet, about 800 million people suffer from hunger. It is estimated that nearly one-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year gets lost or wasted. 40 percent of the fruits and vegetables, and 30 percent of cereals that are produced are lost due to inefficient supply chain management and do not reach the consumer markets.
Facts you need to know about hunger1
- About 80% of the world’s extreme poor live in rural areas. Most of them depend on agriculture.
- Hunger kills more people every year than malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS combined.
- Around 45% of infant deaths are related to malnutrition.
- The cost of malnutrition to the global economy is the equivalent of USD 3.5 trillion a year.
- 1.9 billion people– more than a quarter of the world’s population are overweight.
- One-third of the food produced worldwide is lost or wasted.
- The world will need to produce 60 percent more food by 2050 to feed a growing population.
- No other sector is more sensitive to climate change than agriculture.
Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development.
There’s currently enough food to feed everyone in the world, but it’s just not distributed fairly and efficiently because not every country is cooperating. A common goal has now been created which aims to eradicate hunger and malnutrition in all forms by 2030.
For achieving this goal, the first step should start with farmers. Smallholder farmers have the power to feed their communities and countries, but they are very often affected by poverty and lack of resources. The majority of people who live on low income are depending on agriculture for their livelihood. Empowering smallholder farmers is key to ensuring everyone has access to nutritious food and at the same time such a step can uplift millions of people out of poverty. Yet the future of poor farmers is threatened by climate change.
It’s time for governments to outline concrete plans to achieve zero hunger, including greater investment in agriculture, and schemes that mitigate the effects of climate change for those who rely on farming for their livelihoods.
We have a critical opportunity to emphasize the importance of agriculture in finally ending hunger, and we know that these leaders will only act if we can show that the public supports this.
FAO works mainly in rural areas, in 130 countries. But We work with governments, civil society, the private sector and other partners to achieve Zero Hunger.
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