The 2011 theme for World Food Day is ‘Food Prices from Crisis to
Stability’, with a focus on what can be done to relieve the impact of the current food crisis on the world’s most vulnerable people. Price swings can represent a major threat to food security in developing countries. The poor are the often the hardest hit. According to the World Bank, rising food costs pushed nearly 70 million people in extreme poverty in 2010-11. The UN General Assembly has declared 16^th October every year to be World Food Day. The day is for raising awareness of food security as well as strengthening solidarity in the struggle against world hunger, malnutrition and poverty.

The objectives of World Food Day are to:

• encourage attention to agricultural food production and to stimulate national, bilateral, multilateral and non-governmental efforts to this end;
• encourage economic and technical cooperation among developing countries;
• encourage the participation of rural people, particularly women and the least privileged categories, in decisions and activities influencing their living conditions;
• heighten public awareness of the problem of hunger in the world;
• promote the transfer of technologies to the developing world; and
• strengthen international and national solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty and draw attention to achievements in food and agricultural development. (source: www.fao.org)

The 2011 theme is ‘Food Prices from Crisis to Stability’, with a focus on what can be done to relieve the impact of the current food crisis on the world’s most vulnerable people. Price swings can represent a major threat to food security in developing countries. The poor are the often the hardest hit. According to the World Bank, rising food costs pushed nearly 70 million people in extreme poverty in 2010-11.

This year, much is being done to raise awareness of this issue and fundraising for various charities. The 6^th Run for Food Race is being organised in Italy by the Athletic  Association Bancari Romani, in association with the United Nations and World Food Programme. The aim is to raise funds for the prevention of hunger around the globe. It is said that there are almost 1 billion malnourished people in the world, meaning almost 1 sixth of humanity are suffering from hunger. The Run for Food Race therefore, ‘uses the power of sport.. to mobilize public opinion and resources towards the eradication of hunger’.

All funds raised will go to Telefood Projects in the Horn of Africa. Telefood finance small, self contained agriculture  and livestock projects that help families produce more food. For more information:  http://www.fao.org/getinvolved/telefood/en/

For more details about the Run for Food Race, please see: http://www.fao.org/getinvolved/worldfoodday/run-for-food/en/

Tags: UN World Food Day

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