World Food Day 16 is celebrated on October 2024. A commemorative day, established by FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) in 1979, which still aims to awaken everyone’s consciences regarding endemic hunger and malnutrition.
1) World Food Day 2024
World Food Day 2024 is interpreted with the motto ‘right to food for a better life and a better future’. Focusing on four values associated with the right to food:
-diversity, understood both as agrobiodiversity and as the availability on the markets of a variety of foods, including fresh ones
-nutrition. It is essential that healthy and nutritionally balanced foods are available to everyone, without exception.
-accessibility. Food must be accessible to all, without excluding or discriminating against anyone between or within countries.
-food safety. Food safety is as necessary as its availability, as FAO and WHO have always highlighted. (1)
1.1) From words to deeds
From words to deeds, as seen, at least 846 million people suffered from hunger and acute malnutrition in 2023.
Conflicts and economic crises, extreme weather events and inequalities affecting the poorest and most vulnerable classes, between and within countries. (2)
2) Right to food, international treaties and agreements
The right to food is crystallized in various international treaties and agreements. Starting from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which affirms the right of every person to ‘a standard of living adequate to ensure the health and well-being of oneself and for his family, with particular regard to nutrition’(Article 25). (3)
The International Convenant on Economic, Social and Cultural rights in turn establishes – since 1966 – that the contracting States:
–‘recognize the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family’ and ‘the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger’. They shall therefore
–‘adopt, individually and through international cooperation, all concrete measures and programmes that are necessary to:
(a) improve methods of production, conservation and distribution of foodstuffs through the full application of technical and scientific knowledge, the dissemination of knowledge of the principles of nutrition, and the development or reform of agrarian systems, so as to achieve the most efficient growth and utilization of natural resources;
(b) ensure an equitable distribution of world food resources in relation to needs, taking into account the problems of both food-importing and food-exporting countries’ (Article 11). (4)
2.1) UNDROP
UNDROP – United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (2018) – also recognizes the rights of peasants and rural communities. These include the fundamental rights to:
-food and food sovereignty (5)
-dignified life and control of the means of production. (6)
3) Via Campesina
Via Campesina – the international organization representing farmers and rural communities, including indigenous and migrant communities – declares on 16 October 2024 the ‘International Day of Action for People’s Food Sovereignty and Against Multinationals’.
It denounces the worsening of social justice, armed conflicts and land grabbing, the subtraction of common goods and food sovereignty, environmental degradation and the destruction of biodiversity.
The growing dominance of financial oligarchies on land, industrial agriculture and mining are forceing at least 2,33 billion people to struggle for regular access to adequate food. In addition to contributing to the climate emergency.
3.1) Via Campesina, the solutions to adopt
A transformation of the agri-food system is urgently needed to protect the relationship with Mother Earth as well as to guarantee peace and social justice. And local food systems represent the only solution to ensure an agroecological transition based on these values, as demonstrated in the recent iPES FOOD report on territorial markets. (7)
The UN, FAO, WHO members states must therefore:
-introduce a binding United Nations treaty to regulate and end impunity for trans-national corporations (TNCs)
-stop human rights violations
-ensure access to justice for affected communities
-respond to the climate emergency by recognizing the key role of farmers as custodians of the environment
-recognize property rights on land (especially for women farmers). (8)
4) FAO, exhortations to stakeholders
FAO in turn calls for the responsibility and cooperation of stakeholders to achieve food security. The following are the exhortations addressed to each of them. (9)
4.1) Governments
Governments must support the right to food by adopting policies that ensure access to healthy and sustainable diets for all. It is essential to promote good governance, eliminate poverty and inequalities, and support small producers and family farmers.
Strengthening national capacity to prevent plant diseases and comply with Codex Alimentarius guidelines will ensure safe and nutritious foods.
It is also necessary to build resilience to shocks and vulnerabilities, ensure equal access to social protection and promote environmentally friendly practices. It is therefore necessary to invest in research, innovation and education, collaborating with organizations such as FAO itself.
4.2) Private sector
The private sector can shape the food environment towards healthy and accessible diets. A resilient and equitable agri-food system therefore requires the Corporate Social Responsibility on ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Criteria with respect for farmers and small producers.
Private companies must create inclusive markets, adopting business models that guarantee human rights and decent work. And it is up to food industries to create products with nutritional profiles that help prevent rather than cause health problems, at affordable prices. (10)
4.3) Academia
The academia has a fundamental role because only through research, data analysis and technology, according to FAO, it is possible to aspire to food and nutritional security. Researchers should share evidence, using participatory dissemination models and training.
Knowledge must reach agricultural organizations and companies in a clear and accessible way, including through think tanks. In order to promote health and well-being, reduce food loss and waste, protect ecosystems and natural resources, through integrated and holistic approaches.
4.4) Civil society
Civil society can hold governments accountable and push for policy reforms through awareness campaigns on healthy diets, food safety and sustainability.
Strengthening the participation of smallholder farmers, women and youth and promote gender equality is essential. Partnerships with governments and other organizations are vital for lasting impact.
4.5) Farmers
Farmers and family farms are key players in the nutrition of the populations of the planet and the sustainable management of natural resources. They must manage water effectively, adopt agricultural practices based on agroecology, reduce ‘food loss and waste’ to a minimum. (11)
Working together in cooperatives can improve access to training and technologies. It is in fact, important to prepare to address climate change and participate in community education initiatives, to better
understand the profound interconnection between food, health and the environment.
4.6) Individuals
Every individual can make his/her voice heard, raising public awareness and working with the media to influence policy makers.
Choosing local and seasonal foods, adopting healthy eating habits and diversifying one’s diet helps improve health and protect biodiversity.
Reduce waste food, support farmers’ rights, and donate or volunteer to help those in need. (24)
5) Provisional conclusions
World War III is upon us, millions of refugees are seeking shelter from mass killings in various parts of the planet, and the very role of the United Nations is being questioned.
There is nothing to celebrate except the resistance, still unfortunately scarce, to the beligerent policies that are dragging humanity towards an abyss with no return.
#PaceTerraDignità
Dario Dongo, Iudita Sampalean
Footnotes
(1) FAO. World Food Day 2024 https://t.ly/kQrWM
(2) Dario Dongo. Malnutrition, global crisis. SOFI 2024 Report . GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade).
(3) United Nations. Universal Declaration of Human Rights https://t.ly/5oKfQ
(4) International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. OHCR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights) https://t.ly/aVUgm
(5) Dario Dongo. Food sovereignty in the Constitution, the example of the Canton of Ticino. FT (Food Times). June 15, 2021
(6) Dario Dongo. Farmers’ Rights, UN Declaration. FT (Food Times). Nov 23, 18
(7) Dario Dongo, Iudita Sampalean. Territorial markets and food resilience, iPES FOOD report. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 14.10.24
(8) The Via Campesina. #16OCT24 | International Day of Action For People’s Food Sovereignty, and Against Transnational Corporations. 1.10.24 https://t.ly/HZADb
(9) FAO. World Food Day – Take action! 16.10.24 https://t.ly/i9uxi
(10) Dario Dongo. NutriScore, the tools for calculating nutritional profiles of foods and beverages. FT (Food Times). July 16, 2023
(11) Dario Dongo, Camilla Fincardi. Agroecology, SDGs, salvation. FAO’s decalogue. FT (Food Times). April 12, 2020