By: Dr. Ripudaman Singh, Asstt. Editor-ICN
NEW DELHI: October 16 every year is celebrated as World Food Day in all the countries. It is a day dedicated to tackling global hunger. The day has been launched by the United Nations in the year 1945. Events are organized in over 130 countries across the world, making it one of the most celebrated days of the UN calendar. Together with the global ceremony at FAO headquarters in Rome, these events promote worldwide awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and for the need to ensure food security and nutritious diets for all. The principle aim is to afford and approach for Zero Hunger.
Zero hunger means working together to ensure everyone, everywhere, has access to the safe, healthy and nutritious food they need. To achieve it, we must adopt a more sustainable lifestyle, work with others, share our knowledge and be willing to help change the world – for the better.
As per food summit 1996 “ Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”.
According to the latest FAO 2018 state of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, after a period of decline, world hunger is on the rise again. Today, over 820 million people are suffering chronic under-nourishment. While millions go hungry, 672 million people suffer from obesity, and a further 1.3 billion are overweight.
The main theme is Produce more, with less:-With a growing population expected to reach in 9 billion in 2050, farmers should find new, more productive ways to farm food and diversify their crops. Using an integrated farming approach will not only help farmers increase their crops’ yield, and thus their profits, but can also improve the quality of their farmland.
Now is the time to get back on track. The world can achieve Zero Hunger if we join forces across nations, continents, sectors and professions, and act on evidence. Zero Hunger moves beyond conflict-resolution and economic growth, taking the long-term approach to build peaceful, inclusive societies.
The principle steps from bottom are –.
(1) If enough food is produced, then there can be possibility of stock.
(2) If there is stock of food then security will be possible.
(3) If food is in stock, then its distribution can be possible.
(4) For ensuring food security, there should have buffer stock over the estimated demand according to the population .
To discuss a little, there are two groups of people; (1)one is the food producers –cum- consumers and (2) other is the consumers who are fully dependent upon the former group. The former group consist of peasantry who produce food materials and other consumable commodities on the land, soil and water. Whatever progress achieved in food sector, is in lieu of the sweat shedding, arduous labour of the peasantry. But hardly they get remunerative price back in comparison to the investment. Their services are like charity. It has to be prioritised that the producers get remunerative price back and honour in the Society.
Other but very important group is the Agricultural Technologists who generate technology and disseminate for implementation to the producers. Though much more have to be done by their efforts,yet much to do , which is only possible by the roles of the Agricultural Technologists in the face of the present days concern on the degradation of land, soil and water.
The food comes from two categories of sources- (1) vegetative and (2) animals. However, the principal food consists of Cereals and Pulses, which are vegetative. Our Agricultural Technologists are always devoted for the cause of sustained step up of production of food and other agricultural commodities. Let we solicit the intellectual scientific and realistic political will of the masters of the world.
Governments must create opportunities for deployment of adequate number of Agricultural Technologists, create number of posts and fill up vacancies in offices to ensure production of enough food. Also the Governments should take steps for greater private sector investments in agriculture, while boosting social protection programmes for the vulnerable and linking food producers with urban areas. Also the Governments should formulate and build up effective food distribution mechanism so that food reaches easily to the consumers.
Other concern is the continuous decrease of farm land, because of utilisation in non-farm sectors, particularly urbanisation and heavy industries that also pollute the air and increase green House gas .Also decreased farm land is suscepted to accelerated degradation coupled with accelerated Soil erosion.
Achieving food security for all is at the heart of FAO’s efforts – to make sure people have regular access to enough high quality food to lead active healthy lives. The three main goals are : (1) eradication of hunger , food insecurity and malnutrition , (2) the elimination of poverty and driving forward of economic and social progress for all (3) sustainable management and utilization of natural resources including Land, Soil, Fresh water and Air, Climate and genetic resources for the benefit of present and future generations.
This is the international goal. But adoption of implementing policy rests upon the Countries and actual materialization rests upon the State / Provincial Governments.
Let the food producers and Agricultural Technologists be given due weight and importance for their creative roles in the WORLD FOOD DAY.
