World Food Day
October 16, 2020

World Food Day was established in 1979 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to raise public awareness of global food issues and to strengthen efforts to end hunger and malnutrition.   This year’s theme, ‘Grow  Nourish  Sustain Together’ calls for a global effort  to help all countries , especially those most vulnerable to recover from the COVID crisis and to make food systems more reliable and resilient.   Government, the private sector and civil society need to make sure that our food systems grow a variety of food to nourish a growing population and sustain the planet, together.

It is hoped that students and teachers will mark World Food Day by participating in classroom activities that explore key food –related issues and take action to support those who do not have physical and/or economic access to the types of nutritious food required for healthy lives.

WHY GET INVOLVED IN WORLD FOOD DAY?

• Food is vital to human survival and well-being.  Access to food is a fundamental  human right
• Today 690 million people are hungry, up 10 million since 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic could add between 83-132 million people to this number, depending on the economic growth scenario.*
• More than one-third of the world’s children are malnourished and 45% of all infant deaths are related to malnutrition.*
• While millions of people go hungry, a equal numbers suffer from obesity, and a further 1.3 billion are overweight*
• Most of the world's hungry people are found in the developing world, but over 34 million live in the developed world.
• A combination of unhealthy diets and sedentary life styles have sent obesity rates soaring and school boards across Canada are re-thinking food choices in an effort to battle poor nutritional habits among children.
• The impact of malnutrition in all its forms - undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, as well as overweight and obesity - on the global economy is estimated at USD 3.5 trillion per year.*
• Experts agree that there is enough food in the world for everyone to have enough to eat, but it is unevenly distributed.
• No other sector is more sensitive to climate change than agriculture.

*Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. 2020                                                                                                

Resources 4 Rethinking encourages students and teachers to participate in World Food Day. Top R4R Picks will connect you to some excellent resources to support these efforts.

More information regarding World Food Day 2020 can be found HERE.