As the troubled world gears up to celebrate the World Food Day, 2021 available statistics on the increasing state of malnutrition are not only scary but scandalous for world leaders that keep spending trillions in dollars fighting preventable wars! According to the World Bank Group, International Food Policy Research Institute, United Nations Development Program 1 out of 5 or 20% of all children under- five remain undernourished, 45% of deaths of children under age 5 are linked to malnutrition and 11% of the global population suffers from hunger. TheWorld Food Program has added to the frightening figures that some 265 million people will soon be on the brink of starvation because of the novel coronavirus!
Even though 4 billion metric tons of food is produced each year, more than enough to feed every man, woman and child in the world, one-third of global food producers’ work get wasted. High-income countries leave food on the plate while low- and middle-income countries* leave food in the field or lose it in production. Inequalities, conflicts, environmental conditions and lack of knowledge and resources also consistently take food from the mouths of the poorest 2 billion people in the world.
With the laudable aim to Reaching Zero Hunger by 2030 the World Food Day which is held annually on October 16 will be celebrated this year with the theme “Our actions are our future- Better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life”. It will be again celebrated in Brussels.It is an international day commemorating the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 1945. The FAO is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to achieving food security for all.
#WorldFoodDay 2021 will be marked a second time while countries around the world deal with the widespread effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic. It’s a time to look into the future we need to build together.World Food Day celebrates the global progress made toward zero hunger and highlights the world’s commitment to ending world hunger by 2030.
In the words of the FAO Liaison Office in Brussels: “The food we choose and the way we consume it affect our health and that of our planet. It has an impact on the way agri-food systems work. The UN Secretary-General is convening the very first Food Systems Summit in September to launch bold new actions to transform the way the world produces and consumes food, with an aim to get back on track to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. We all need to be part of the change.
Read Also: Reflections on the World Food Day Celebrations
“Collective action across 150 countries is what makes World Food Day one of the most celebrated days of the UN calendar. Hundreds of events and outreach activities bring together governments, businesses, NGOs, the media, and general public. They promote worldwide awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and for the need to ensure healthy diets for all”. That brings us to the critical issues of food security and its absence which shows the world the opposite side of the coin.
As defined by the United Nations’ Committee on World Food Security, food security means that all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life.It is also a measure of the availability of food and an individual’s ability to access it.
Conversely, food insecurity is defined as the disruption of food intake or eating patterns because of lack of money and other resources. Hunger and malnutrition exact an obvious price on health and make it harder for people to learn, work, provide for themselves, lead productive lives and contribute positively to society. The effect hunger and malnutrition have on health and productivity forms a barrier that serves to keep people mired in poverty. The bitter truth is that food insecurity, worsened by the haunting challenges of terrorism, banditry, kidnappings and killings of unarmed farmers and innocent citizens by fully armed herders has become our clear and present danger here in Nigeria. So, what is the way forward?
As governments across the world brainstorm on mitigating the scourge of harrowing hunger, one would canvass that we apply the Root Cause Analytical Approach(RCAA) towards finding lasting solutions to malnutrition and hunger. They should try to identify why people are getting more malnourished and hungrier by the day, across the world. It is worthy of note that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 provides that “everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, including food. It is reechoed in “Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights that recognizes access to adequate food that is nutrition as a fundamental human right.
Perhaps, it would do the world a world of good if credible data is gathered and analyzed on country basis on the status of the citizens with regards to food security Peace, justice and equity are sin qua non to more food production. So are access to fertile lands, knowledge available to farmers on the application of modern technology with the use of early maturing, disease-resistant and bumper-yielding hybrid seedlings. Also important is access to funds made available to the farmers, to act as catalyst to sustainable food production as the CBN-led Anchor Borrowers Program has been doing in Nigeria. But it must be devoid of politics and ethnic prejudice.
As with the Nigerian situation there is need to engage in fruitful dialogues with relevant stakeholders to initiate peace forums. Farmers should also be taught about Climate Change, COVID-19 pandemic and their effects on food production for them to adjust. Next come Compassion’s Food Security Initiatives. They address the challenges of life-threatening hunger needs of children living in extreme poverty, while also providing preventive care to support long-term health and wellness.
By giving to help families affected by COVID-19, you help provide supplemental food, vitamins and medical care to malnourished children and support to our therapeutic feeding and food stability initiatives. A donation today will also help safeguard children from illnesses that hamper early childhood development and threaten their lives. Listed are the key areas of interest:
Donate today to help address life-threatening hunger needs caused by COVID-19 and to provide:
Food kits that include essentials like rice, eggs, meat, milk, corn and other nonperishable dry goods
Medical therapeutic feeding for babies, children, or youth, caregivers and siblings
Nutrition assistance for pregnant mothers and infants
Preventive and income-generating activities that help address food insecurity long term
Based on current food security and hunger forecasts associated with COVID-19, Compassion anticipates facing difficult food security issues for the next several years.
We must ensure that the 8 to 10 million children and families in Compassion’s reach who are already on the verge of starvation do not succumb to this virus or to its economic consequences.
160,000 compassion-registered children suffered from moderate or severe malnutrition before covid-19
300,000+ compassion-registered children are at risk of malnutrition and wasting because of covid-19
10,000+ children worldwide are dying from hunger each month because of the covid-19 pandemic.
All said, without collaboration between governments and the private sector and in the absence of lasting peace, the world still has a long way to go as it targets Zero-Hunger by 2030.
