Even this year, in over 150 countries around the world, World Food Day is celebrated. This anniversary, which is held on October 16, is now a habitual celebration to reflect on very important issues such as nutrition in the world and the fight against under-nutrition situations.
How World Food Day was born
World Food Day boasts a historic birth: the first edition took place on October 16, 1945 when representatives of 42 nations gathered in Canada, founding the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (better known as FAO). The purpose of this new UN agency was precisely to intervene on the scourge of world hunger, particularly in some areas, and to deal with all the problems associated with the malnutrition phenomenon.
Over the years, FAO has increasingly promoted this event, to such an extent that today there are many nations that organize various kinds of events on October 16 to arouse the interest of public opinion. This year, moreover, the day has become even more "pronounced", as the 75th anniversary is celebrated with a series of events and demonstrations to be held in various cities around the world.
Food and environment
One of the increasing popular issues in recent years is the close correlation between food safety and environmental protection, with particular focus on climate change. In fact, we are witnessing the progressive increase in global temperature, which is often accompanied by disastrous weather phenomena, with obvious consequences on agriculture, livestock and fishing.
Another high-impact phenomenon, not to be underestimated, is the constant growth of the world population. According to the most recent estimates, by 2050 the number of inhabitants on our planet will reach 10 billion and the need to have food for all will become a priority on the global political agenda. Optimizing agricultural and food systems, making the production and distribution of resources increasingly efficient: this is what world leaders will have to deal with in the near future. Resistance and sustainability must be the two cornerstones of the new food production systems.
Cultivating, feeding, preserving. Together
Not surprisingly, this year's slogan is "Cultivating, feeding, preserving. Together". The main thematic focuses faced during this day by various involved stakeholders are:
- almost 2 billion people don’t have access to good and nutritious food, with an increasing figure due to the population growth;
- the Covid 19 pandemic could lead to a further growth of people suffering from hunger;
- the malnutrition impact generates a significant cost to the global economy which affects the community;
- it’s necessary to diversify crops not focusing only on those most used in the current historical moment.
These are complex goals, on which World Food Day is putting the spotlight, so that their priority importance is spread among the community and not just among legislators and governments.
