World Food Day: Plans For Future!

 

 

Every year World Food Day is observed on October 16 and is celebrated to raise awareness on the issue of hunger and healthy food habits for all. It marks the founding day of the Food and Agriculture Organisation(FAO). World Food Day is celebrated by organisations like the World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agriculture Development. The theme for World Food Day this year is “Our actions are our future- Better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life,” as per the official website of FAO. The Covid-19 pandemic underlined that an urgent change of route is needed. It has made it even harder for farmers — already grappling with climate variability and extremes — to sell their harvests, while rising poverty is pushing an increased number of city residents to use food banks, and millions of people require emergency food aid. We need sustainable agri-food systems that are capable of nourishing 10 billion people by 2050. The presence of pesticides in our food and the environment not only disrupts our hormones and brings about developmental changes in our growing years but also starts affecting children even before they are born, a pioneering study by the biochemistry department of King George’s Medical University has found. In the first half of the fiscal year 2021, the pesticide production volume amounted to 101 thousand metric tons across India. The chemical industry in the country is highly diversified. With a coverage of over thousands of products, the south Asian country was one of the leading producers of chemicals in the world and the fourth largest in Asia.