World Food Day - United Against Hunger - October 16, 2010
World Food Day is an event designed to increase awareness, understanding and informed, year-around action to alleviate hunger. It is observed each October 16th in recognition of the founding of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The theme of this year’s observance is “United Against Hunger” chosen to recognize the efforts made in the fight against world hunger at national, regional and international levels.
In order to overcome hunger and food insecurity, we need to increase global food production without degrading soils and the environment. To achieve food secure populations, it is necessary to improve access, availability, stability, and quality of food. Partners’ Farmer to Farmer Program is contributing to food security and fighting hunger in the communities and countries where we work. Farmer to Farmer volunteers have assisted cooperatives, businesses, small farmers, and associations to improve their practices, yielding more crops and higher profits giving families more purchasing power to buy healthy food and making more food available in local markets. Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy lifestyle.
A few examples of Partners’ Farmer to Farmer contributions to food security and hunger relief:
Nicaragua – Small-scale dairy production is a tool for poverty alleviation and for increasing food security. Farmer to Farmer has been assisting producers in improving the quantity and quality of their milk production so they can increase profits and have more ability to purchase food and necessary items for their families. This also helps the consumers because they have access to better quality and more diversified dairy products in local and regional markets.
Guyana – Farmer to Farmer has been supporting vegetable production which contributes directly to food security. Families have access to fresh local vegetables and the producers are expanding production with new irrigation technologies. These inputs allow for higher quality crops, meaning better produce for the consumers and higher profits for the producers.
Haiti – Rabbit production supports food security efforts in many ways. Rabbit meat is a healthy protein source in rural communities and the producers can use the income from selling rabbits to purchase other foodstuffs. Additionally, rabbit production is a reliable, income generating activity ensuring available food during times of instability. For example, during the earthquake in January of this year, communities had limited access to food outside of their communities so rabbits were a necessary and essential component to family diets.
Dominican Republic – Greenhouse vegetable production is an incoming-generating activity for groups of women and it contributes to community and regional food security. Greenhouses ensure the availability of nutritious vegetables in rural areas and offer a more stable system of production since the crops are less prone to the many threats of open field production.
On behalf of World Food Day, Farmer to Farmer would like to thank all the volunteers and staff that contribute to overcoming food insecurity, hunger and poverty on this day and every day.
A few examples of Partners’ Farmer to Farmer contributions to food security and hunger relief:
Nicaragua – Small-scale dairy production is a tool for poverty alleviation and for increasing food security. Farmer to Farmer has been assisting producers in improving the quantity and quality of their milk production so they can increase profits and have more ability to purchase food and necessary items for their families. This also helps the consumers because they have access to better quality and more diversified dairy products in local and regional markets.
Guyana – Farmer to Farmer has been supporting vegetable production which contributes directly to food security. Families have access to fresh local vegetables and the producers are expanding production with new irrigation technologies. These inputs allow for higher quality crops, meaning better produce for the consumers and higher profits for the producers.
Haiti – Rabbit production supports food security efforts in many ways. Rabbit meat is a healthy protein source in rural communities and the producers can use the income from selling rabbits to purchase other foodstuffs. Additionally, rabbit production is a reliable, income generating activity ensuring available food during times of instability. For example, during the earthquake in January of this year, communities had limited access to food outside of their communities so rabbits were a necessary and essential component to family diets.
Dominican Republic – Greenhouse vegetable production is an incoming-generating activity for groups of women and it contributes to community and regional food security. Greenhouses ensure the availability of nutritious vegetables in rural areas and offer a more stable system of production since the crops are less prone to the many threats of open field production.
On behalf of World Food Day, Farmer to Farmer would like to thank all the volunteers and staff that contribute to overcoming food insecurity, hunger and poverty on this day and every day.
There are 10,000 people dying everyday due to hunger and malnutrition. This short film shows a forgotten portion of the society. The people who live on the refuse of men to survive. What is inspiring is the hope and spirituality that never left this people.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/1081