world food day 16th oct 2014

Family Farming is the focus of World Food Day 2014

World Food Day is celebrated in honour of the date of the founding of the FAO of the United Nations in 1945. It is also now considered as Food Engineers’ Day.

“Feeding the world, caring for the earth” – has been chosen to raise the profile of family farming and smallholder farmers. It focuses world attention on the significant role of family farming in eradicating hunger and poverty, providing food security and nutrition, improving livelihoods, managing natural resources, protecting the environment, and achieving sustainable development, in particular in rural areas. 

Family Farming importance

• Family and small-scale farming are inextricably linked to world food security.
• Family farming preserves traditional food products, while contributing to a balanced diet and safeguarding the world’s agro-biodiversity and the sustainable use of natural resources.
• Family farming represents an opportunity to boost local economies, especially when combined with specific policies aimed at social protection and well-being of communities.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that there are 803 million hungry people in the world.This means they regularly do not have enough food to live an active life.  These family farmers feed the world, yet are hungry themselves.

Why are farmers who produce food hungry?

The answer to this question is complex, but it is easy to see that by focusing on the needs of these family farmers we could reduce the global hunger problem significantly.
Many family farmers lack access to good seeds, adequate storage for their crops, transportation, well-functioning markets, financing, and policy support. Supporting family farmers in these ways can improve productivity, reduce food losses and increase farmers’ incomes.
Join us in a toast to thank the farmers that work hard every day to ensure that our food is grown with care and is healthy for us to eat.

source: http://www.fao.org/world-food-day/contest/2014/en/?no_cache=1#sthash.hAxEKr4o.dpuf

Family and small-scale, sustainable use of natural resources.
• Family farming represents an opportunity to boost local economies, especially when combined with specific policies aimed at social protection and well-being of communities. - See more at: http://www.fao.org/world-food-day/contest/2014/en/?no_cache=1#sthash.hAxEKr4o.dpuf

Mrs Shilpa Mittal
Nutritionist and Diet Consultant
Founder Shilpsnutrilife - Diet and lifestylemakeover