Pakistan observed World Food Day with much needed commitment to address the issue of malnourishment among a significant portion of its population. Despite being an agrarian economy many of its people, mainly those based in rural areas, are undernourished.
The scenario, experts claimed, was not simply restricted to population explosion and wrong priorities regarding food consumption pattern. Indifference and lack of preparedness to meet the challenge of global warming consequent to environmental changes and its direct impact on agricultural sector were also aggravating the situation, they said.
Experts urged policy makers to ensure that local farmers must be sensitised about available choice to grow cost effective food items and other agricultural products, in accordance to natural conditions. "Achieving food security in times of crisis" is the theme for this year's World Food Day and for the TeleFood campaign of the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations.
It emphasises the need for even greater efforts to respect the dignity of those affected by poverty and hunger, and to support the committed women and men who often risk their lives to deliver help. World Food Day was proclaimed in 1979 by the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). It marks the date of the founding of FAO in 1945.
The aim of the Day is to heighten public awareness of the world food problem and strengthen solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty. In 1980, the General Assembly endorsed observance of the Day in consideration of the fact that "food is a requisite for human survival and well-being and a fundamental human necessity" (resolution 35/70 of 5 December 1980).
World Food Day provides an occasion to highlight the plight of 923 million undernourished people in the world. Most of them live in rural areas where their main source of income is agriculture. Global warming and the biofuel boom are now threatening to push the number of hungry even higher.
UN Secretary General in his message on World Food Day said, "Food and nutritional security are the foundations of a decent life, a sound education and, indeed, the achievement of all the Millennium Development Goals." Over the past two years, volatile food prices, the economic crisis, climate change and conflict have led to a dramatic and unacceptable rise in the number of people who cannot rely on getting the food they need to live, work and thrive.
He said it was for the first time in history that more than one billion people were hungry. Seventy per cent were small-scale farmers. Throughout the developing world, food prices remained stubbornly high, he said. The UN Chief urged that countries must respond to the needs of the hungry, first by ensuring adequate political and financial support for emergency food assistance.
"We must invest in food production and distribution," he said and mentioned that last year, he had set up a high-level task force on the global food crisis. Its Comprehensive Framework for Action outlines a strategy to provide safety nets and assistance for small farmers and to support longer-term agricultural productivity and resilience, social protection schemes, market access and fair trade.
Nations are mobilising for action. In July, 26 countries and 14 multilateral organisations agreed to work together under the umbrella of the L'Aquila initiative on food security. Next month's World Summit on Food Security in Rome is a further opportunity to focus on country-led and regional strategies, country-level partnerships and increased levels of assistance.
The challenges of food security demand multilateral commitment, creativity and leadership at this time of crisis. UN Chief urged all the nations to pursue co-ordinated and comprehensive strategies for agricultural development and effective social protection so that vulnerable people, women and children in particular, may get the food they need for nutritional security and well-being.
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