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WORLD FOOD DAY - October 16 2008
Enabling world food security in light of the impact of climate change may be one of the biggest challenges humanity faces in this century. Rising prices have plunged an approximately 75 million people below the hunger threshold, bringing the estimated number of undernourished people worldwide to 923 million in 2007.
Soroptimist International of Europe supports the United Nations’ initiatives through its individual and organisation members globally, and acts at the local level in the over fifty countries represented by its members as well as in collaboration with other nongovernmental organisations.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations celebrates World Food Day every year on October 16, the day on which the Organisation was founded in 1945.
“Rarely has World Food Day assumed greater meaning than at the present time, as rapidly rising food prices risk increasing the number of hungry people”, notes FAO’s Chief of World Food Day events, Sidaty Aidara.
Food Security: “The Challenge of Climate Change and Bio-Energy is the theme of this year’s World Food Day”.
With the number of undernourished people currently estimated at more than 923 million, high food prices are not only putting at greater risk the hungry but those also on the brink of poverty. Of those, about 900 million live in developing countries, the very countries expected to be most affected by climate change. World Food Day activities aim at expanding global awareness in an effort to reduce the effects of increasingly severe climate patterns on agriculture and the impact of bio-fuels on food production.
The effect of the current World Food Security Crises is reflected in the noticeably reduced availability and the high prices of basic foods around the world. Climate change impacted by environmental conditions exacerbated by technological thrusts continues to impact food production, world prices and distribution. Compounded by growing populations and the adaptation of environmentally unfriendly developmental activities and consumption choices, many developed countries continue to harvest the bulk and richer portions of the world’s food resources.
The search for alternatives to carbon-based fuel is desirable. But when this search leads to the destabilisation of societies because of the reduction and diversion of healthy food supply, then that search becomes distorted. Most of the crops associated with bio-fuel production have been traditionally used as food.
SI/E encourages more research in non-threatening ways to the quality of life for all people. Research in Solar Energy with the active participation of developed and lesser developed countries in active partnerships for shared technology, and involving private and public sectors is one alternative that UN organisations like the FAO could facilitate for incremental applications of crisis fee results. Furthermore SI/E encourages the United Nations through its related groups like the FAO to continue its role as clearinghouse for technical, data sharing, multilateral discussion that seek to identify solutions for the concerns and challenges impacting food security and treat this crisis with urgency at all levels.
Gertraud PICHLER
Programme Coordinator for Environment
Soroptimists International for Europe
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