KARACHI: UN Secretary-General António Guterres, while speaking about World Food Day (16th of Oct) noted that it was not only a reminder of the importance of food to every person on the planet, it was a call to action to achieve food security around the world.”
Secretary General pointed out: “Today, almost 40 per cent of humanity — three billion people — cannot afford a healthy diet. Hunger is on the rise. So too are undernourishment and obesity. The economic impacts of COVID-19 have made a bad situation even worse. The pandemic has left an additional 140 million people unable to access the food they need. At the same time, the way we produce, consume and waste food is taking a heavy toll on our planet. It is putting historic pressure on our natural resources, climate and natural environment — and costing us trillions of dollars a year. As this year’s theme makes clear, the power to change is in our hands. Our actions are our future.
“Last month, the world gathered for the United Nations Food Systems Summit. Countries made bold commitments to transform food systems. To make healthy diets more affordable and accessible. And to make food systems more efficient, resilient and sustainable at every step — from production and processing, to marketing, transportation and delivery. We can all change how we consume food, and make healthier choices — for ourselves, and our planet. In our food systems, there is hope. On this World Food Day, join us as we commit to take transformative action to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals through food systems that deliver better nutrition, a better environment and a better life for every person.”
In KP, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, in collaboration with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agriculture Department and University of Agriculture Peshawar celebrated the World Food Day (WFD) here on Monday.
Referring to the theme of the day: Our actions are our future, better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life,” the Vice Chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Prof. Dr. Jehan Bakht Khan said that according to the Food Security Assessment (FSA) Survey 2016, 18% of Pakistanis are under nourished whereas around half of the population is consuming less than the dietary requirement of vitamin A and Iron.
He further added that food security in Pakistan is primarily attributed to limited economic access of the poorest and most vulnerable ones to food; and therefore, for addressing the challenge of food insecurity, the Government of Pakistan has formulated a national Food Security Policy under which short-to-long term interventions have been designed and planned for ensuring quality and nutritious food for all round the year.
On this World Food Day, we pay tribute to all our Food Heroes around the world including in Pakistan and KP Province, the way they continued to work against all the odds to ensure we had enough food to eat.
This World Food Day also calls on all of us to become a Food Hero ourselves, as we start to change the ways in which our food is produced, processed, stored, distributed and consumed.
A new momentum and energy is building towards making our agri-food systems more fit for purpose. The day stressed the need of food security for everyone and all times in order to build a better tomorrow for everyone, narrated the FAO’s press release public here on Monday.
Addressing the event, Mr. Waleed Mahdi, International Program Coordinator said that WFD is celebrated every year on 16th October – the founding day of the FAO, to raise awareness about the need of supporting transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems for better life for everyone.
It calls for action across sectors to ensure that our agri-food systems deliver enough affordable, nutritious and safe food for all.
The FAO Director General on this occasion, through his written message, highlighted that this year the World Food Day finds us at a critical moment.
The COVID-19 pandemic remains a global challenge, causing untold losses and hardships. The impacts of the climate crisis are all around us. The lives and livelihoods of millions of people have been thrown into turmoil, with widespread suffering due to many natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies.
A large number of Faculty members and students of the Univ. of Agriculture, representatives of the UN agencies, and senior staff of the Agric. Research and Extension departments, and farmers from the KP and Newly Merged Districts attended the event.
At the close of the ceremony, farmers received gifts and tributes; and Deputy Program Coordinator, FAO KP, Mujibur Rahman shed light on the important new publications of FFS and FBS manuals and Climate Smart Profiles of KP, which were later on, presented to the invited guests.
During the month of October, the FAO held a public awareness campaign in KP, where posters and badges were presented to the food heroes. The FAO and Down Town Restaurant collaborated to commemorate the WFD Theme.
The aim of raising awareness on the importance of being able to eat healthy and nutritious food every day throughout the year.
In Sindh the agricultural experts and scientists have expressed concern over the food situation in country including Sindh and emphasized upon the stack holders from government, academia, industry and institutions to conduct joint research to eliminate hunger and ensure food security.
They stated this while addressing a seminar organized by Sindh Agriculture University Tando Jam in collaboration with Fuji Fertilizers Company (FCC) in connection with World Food Day on Monday.
This year, the theme of World Food day was “Safe food now for a healthy tomorrow”.
Addressing to the seminar, the Vice Chancellor Dr. Fateh Marri said in the country including peoples of Sindh do not have enough food to eat and the poverty rate is high, most people go to bed without food.
In the past, he said that experts had predicted that the world would be devastated by hunger and starvation due to the growing population, but agriculture scientist have thwarted such theories through science saying steps must be taken to save the world
from food wastage and that agriculture is the only sector that is playing key role in food security and poverty alleviation. “Even today, 17 percent of agricultural produce of the country is wasted and more than 30 percent of food is tossed up on garbage dumps,” he said.
The Deputy Project Manager Marketing (FFC) Abdul Jaleel Jarwar said the population of the country is increasing while cultivable land is dwindling therefore so we should take advantage of new technology to do more research on maximizing production from limited land in order to solve the food problems.
The Director University advancement and Financial Assistance Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ismail Kumbhar said the FAO’s State of Food Security report states that 820 million people worldwide suffer from malnutrition while 70 percent of the world population lives in poor and resource-poor rural areas, which are constantly plagued by
hunger. He said disasters, water shortages, droughts, changes in agricultural land settlements, climate change and Pollution are the cause of food shortages.
Among others, Director, Institute of Food Sciences and Technologies Dr. AIjaz Hussain Soomro, Deans including Dr. Tahseen Fatima Miano, Dr. Syed Ghiasuddin Shah Rashdi, Dr. Jan Mohammad Marri, Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim Keerio, Dr, Allah Wadhayo Gandahi, Dr. Inayatullah Rajpar and Dr Syed Ziaul Hassan Shah were also present on the occasion.
Later, an awareness rally was also held in connection with the World Food Day. Besides, students of the Institute of Food Sciences and Technologies also organized a Posters exhibition and variety of food items stalls, including pickles, sauces, jams,
jellies, bakeries, juices, cakes.
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With input from APP
