The World Food Day is celebrated on October 16 every year. It is an international day celebrated every year worldwide to commemorate the date of the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in 1945.
Several organizations around the globe celebrate the World Food Day, including the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the World Food Programme.
Importance
Access to proper food and nutrition is a basic human right. Instead of that there are millions of people who suffer from hunger. They do not have access to proper healthy food and water.
World Food Day focuses on raising awareness on the importance and taking up initiatives to ensure that every person on this planet is given access to proper nutrition and proper food. Ensuring food safety and security and combating hunger are also the focus of celebrating World Food Day. Every year, World Food Day is observed with a lot of new initiatives and fresh ideas by organisations.
In recent years World Food Day has used its annual day of celebration to focus on different aspects of food security and agriculture, including fishing communities, climate change and biodiversity.
History
The World Food Day was established in 1945 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. After 34 years, in 1979 it was recognized as a world holiday at the 20th FAO conference in November. After official recognition, more than 150 countries came together to accept World Food Day as a significant day for celebrations. Since 2014, the World Food Day has been used to promote the idea of feeding the world and eliminating poverty in rural nations.
Significance
For the year 2023, the theme of the World Food Day is – “Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind”.
“Water is essential to life on Earth. It covers the majority of the Earth’s surface, makes up over 50% of our bodies, produces our food, and supports livelihoods. But this precious resource is not infinite, and we need to stop taking it for granted. What we eat, and how that food is produced all affect water. Together, we can take water action for food and be the change,” says the Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United States on its official website.
On this day, organizations come together to raise awareness about the importance of equal access to food and water for everyone on the planet.
