Gardnersville – In observance of World Food Day, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is calling on Liberians and the world over to collectively join hands in eradicating hunger.
World Food Day is a day of action dedicated to tackling global hunger. Held annually on 16 October each year when people from around the world come together to declare their commitment to eradicate worldwide hunger from our lifetime.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “Our actions are our future. Healthy diets for a #Zero Hunger world”.
This year, World Food Day calls for action across sectors to make healthy and sustainable diets affordable and accessible to everyone.
At the same time, it calls on everyone to start thinking about what we eat.
The day provides the opportunity for the world to show its commitment to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: “End Hunger” and achieving Zero Hunger by 2030.
The day is intended to promote worldwide awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and for the need to ensure healthy diets for all.
FAO Representative in Liberia, Madam Mariatou Njie reading FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu message at the Agriculture Ministry in Monrovia called on all sectors to jointly work together to minimize hunger around the world by 2030.
According to her, all hands are needed on deck in the fight to eradicate hunger across the world.
“World Food Day 2019 calls for actions to make healthy and sustainable diets accessible and affordable to everyone. For this, partnership is fundamental. Farmers, governments, researchers, the private sector and consumers, all have a role to play. Farmers need better incentives to increase and diversify the production of high quality food,” Njie said.
“Governments need to adopt policies food standards and regulations that prioritize the availability and affordability of safe and nutritious foods. Research institutions need to provide the best scientific advice and push the boundaries of knowledge and technology. The private sector can positively influence the food environment by adopting its products to modern nutritional recommendations. Individuals also need to think about their food choices and eating patterns through awareness and learning.”
According to her, FAO will continue to give support to member countries in the fight against hunger.
She added that FAO intends to increase the production of high quality food as a means of boosting food security across the world.
“FAO supports its member countries in their efforts to make sustainable healthy diets a reality for all. As a knowledge organization, FAO strengthens the capacity of countries to evaluate and monitor the nutrition situation, supports knowledge transfer and provides food standards. We also want to increase the production and consumption of high quality food through investing in agriculture, regulatory frameworks, technologies, and innovations. Food system transformation requires strong political commitment for collective synergy and holistic design of agriculture and food chains”, she indicated.
Speaking on behalf of the government, acting Agriculture Minister Precious Tetteh reaffirmed the government’s support in the fight to end extreme hunger by the year 2030.
Minister Tetteh noted that agriculture is a key part of the government pro-poor agenda for prosperity and development (PAPD).
The acting MOA boss noted that government will continue to work with FAO and other partners in combatting hunger across Liberia.