Cross-posted by Gardens for Health International
This week, food and nutrition advocates around the world are taking action to raise awareness and celebrate global commitments to ending hunger as part of World Food Day 2014. Marking the day that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations was founded, this year’s theme on Family Farming highlights the critical and versatile role that family and smallholder farmers play in eradicating hunger and poverty.
Released in advance of World Food Day, the 2014 Global Hunger Index shows both positive and negative trends in reducing hunger. Overall, worldwide levels of hunger have fallen by 39 percent since 1990. However, despite significantly improved global access to food over the past two decades, more than 2 billion people around the world suffer from “hidden hunger” – also known as micronutrient deficiencies – because they do not receive adequate vitamins, minerals, and nutrients from the foods they consume. Additionally, 805 million people are chronically undernourished due to a lack of access to food. Simply put, they do not have enough calories to eat.
The FAO describes family farming as being “inextricably linked to national and global food security.” By and large, family farmers produce the foods that feed the rest of us, despite a fundamental lack of access to adequate, nutritious foods themselves. Beyond food production, family farmers also serve as stewards to a healthy planet by promoting ecological health, protecting biodiversity and traditional foods, and encouraging the sustainable use of environmental resources.
As a Global Health Corps Fellow at Gardens for Health International, these vital linkages are not lost on me. In Rwanda, 85% of the population is engaged in agricultural activities. Often, when I meet the children of the mamas we work with, the majority of whom are smallholder farmers, I can’t help but think of my four young nieces and nephew. Had they been born under different circumstances, whether in developing or developed countries (recent studies show that one in six people living in the United States is food insecure), what would their experiences with undernutrition and food insecurity have looked like? Would they be grappling with “hidden hunger” or chronic undernourishment, both significantly impacting their physical and cognitive development during their first 1,000 days of life, ultimately limiting their achievements – or worse, their chance for survival – as adults?
While an event such as World Food Day provides an important platform for the global community to convene, reflect, and celebrate the efforts and tremendous gains that have been made in addressing the varied and complex components of food and nutrient security, it must also serve as a call to action. There is much work yet to be done. We can, and must, do more.
That is why, on this World Food Day, I am incredibly humbled and proud to be part of an organization that honors family farmers by placing them at the center of our programming and celebrates their commitment and tireless efforts toward creating healthier people and healthier soil in Rwanda.