Why was world food day created?

Answer 1

World Food Day was created to "increase awareness, understanding, and informed, year-around, long-term action on the complex issues of food security for all." This year's theme is The Right to Food. The Right to Food means the right

of all people to sufficient levels of nutritious food that is culturally acceptable and sustains an active, healthy lifestyle.

It is important to point out that The Right to Food is not a utopian idea. While more than 850 million people around the world are malnourished and millions more suffer from food insecurity, it is also true that the world produces more than enough food to feed everyone. Ironically, 80 percent of those experiencing hunger are farmers or farm workers who lack necessary resources and land rights to provide for themselves sufficiently. In addition, many small-scale farmers throughout the world are being forced into competition with subsidized, below-cost imports from large agribusiness conglomerates. The combined effect not only threatens the livelihoods of small-scale farmers, but also undermines food sovereignty for everyone.

Food sovereignty is the right of all peoples to determine their own food and agricultural policies at the local, state, and national levels. Food sovereignty is vital to achieving real food security and The Right to Food, as it ensures the survival of localized, sustainable agriculture. When imports of cheap, heavily subsidized food imports flood a country's economy, farmers become displaced and food security decreases. One notorious example of this is the case of Mexico after the North American Free Trade Agreement was passed in 1994. Mexico was once largely self-sufficient in basic staple crops such as corn. In the decade that followed the passage of NAFTA, more than 1.5 million Mexican farmers were forced to abandon their plots due to the dumping of heavily subsidized U.S. corn into local markets. Likewise, Mexico's rates of corn importation and the cost of critical staple foods such as corn tortillas skyrocketed.

The struggle for The Right to Food is therefore not just about providing food for the hungry. It is about creating a fair, sustainable, and environmentally sound food system that respects and prioritizes the needs of local communities first. Farmers should receive adequate payment for their crops, and more governmental and institutional investment is needed in rural economies. In addition, governments must recognize their responsibility in protecting The Right to Food by implementing policies that provide free or affordable locally grown food to populations in high risk of malnourishment. This includes ensuring that the 300 million children who go to sleep hungry every night are fed.