World Food Day 2021: Learn about the Theme, History, and Significance.
This World Food Day, learn about the significance of food and how you can contribute to building a healthier and sustainable future.
We need food to sustain life. It is a basic need of every human being, a source of nutrients and energy, to develop and grow. Every year on October 16th, World Food Day is observed to honor the value of food. The day commemorates the establishment of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in 1945.
This year, it is falling on Saturday, and the theme is yet to be revealed. The theme for 2020 was ‘Grow, nourish, sustain. Together. Our actions are our future’.
History and Significance
Dr. Pal Romany, a former Hungarian Minister of Agriculture and Food, proposed the creation of the day in 1979. Since then, it is celebrated in approximately 150 countries worldwide.
Did you know that more than 3 billion people (almost 40% of the world’s population) cannot afford a healthy diet? The goal of the Food and Agriculture Organization is to achieve food security and ensure that people have regular access to high-quality food to lead an active and healthy life. It plays a huge role in ending hunger.
Through World Food Day, the FAO tries to establish an agri-food system, wherein “the food we choose and the way we produce, prepare, cook and store it makes us an integral and active part of the way in which an agrifood system works.” Every time we eat, we participate in the system.
This year, the organization is calling for action to ensure better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life for everyone. It also pushes to increase the demand for sustainably produced nutritious food while becoming more sustainable in our daily actions. It works to build awareness about eating a well-balanced diet and following a healthy lifestyle.
A huge part of the world’s population suffers from hunger and malnutrition today. The reason behind this is poverty and lack of resources. Around 10% of the population is affected by unsafe food supplies which are contaminated by bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical substances. The pandemic further aggravated the situation, causing people to starve as they lost their means of subsistence and access to essentials during the lockdown.
World Food Day 2021 will be observed for the second time while the countries throughout the world deal with the effects of the pandemic.
The FPO is marking it as an occasion to start building together a healthy and sustainable future.
How Can We Contribute?
This World Food Day, we can do our bit by coming together and working towards the goal of food security. Here’s how:
Choose healthy diets: Add diverse and nutritious food to your diet. Follow a balanced diet that is beneficial for your body and mind. It should include fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, etc.
Grow green: Set up a kitchen garden or grow food like tomatoes, coriander, or chilies in the small flowerpots on your balcony. This will not only make your food healthier but also help clean the air.
Reduce food waste: While we waste food, someone somewhere is going to sleep empty stomach. Buy only what you need and plan your meals. Improve the food storage at your home and try to create new dishes out of leftover food. Donate the food leftover after an event to an NGO.
Support small food producers: Buy from local farmers and support their produce. They sell good quality and unadulterated food, and you’ll also be helping them earn a living. Promote local varieties.
Dress sustainable: Agri-food systems also produce fibers like cotton and wool along with food. Add sustainable clothes to your wardrobe and purchase from socially responsible brands rather than following fast fashion. Donate your old clothes and take steps towards a zero-waste lifestyle.
Refer to this guide by the FAO to get involved in their #WorldFoodDay2021 initiative. Make it your day!
Last month, we celebrated World First Aid Day to help raise awareness about the importance of first aid in order to save lives. Read this blog to know more about it. You can also check out other blogs on the website. For more such content, sign up for the Fuzia community.
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