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| FAO REPRESENTATIVE IN NIGERIA AND ECOWAS SUFFYAN KOROMA, |
The concept of Zero Hunger is broader and not limited to the fight against undernourishment. It aims to provide people with the necessary nutrients for a healthy life. Zero Hunger encompasses the eradication of all forms of malnutrition. So it is not just about feeding people but nourishing people as well.
Current global food systems have increased the availability and accessibility of processed food that is very caloric and energy-dense, high in fat, sugar and salt but low in micronutrients leading to hidden hunger. Food systems must be transformed in a way that all people can consume healthy and nutritious food. It must be a collective effort towards healthy diets that include, for instance, the creation of norms such as labeling and the banning of some harmful ingredients, the introduction of nutrition in the school curriculum, the adoption of methods to avoid food loss and waste, and the establishment of trade agreements that do not hamper access to locally grown, fresh and nutritious food from family farming.
Paradoxically, global hunger has only grown since then. According to the latest estimates, the number of undernourished people in the World increased in 2017, for the third consecutive year. Last year, 821 million people suffered from hunger (11 percent of the World population - one in nine people on the planet), most of them family and subsistence farmers living in poor rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.
However, the growing rate of undernourished people is not the only big challenge we are facing. Other forms of malnutrition have also increased. In 2017, at least 1.5 billion people suffered from micronutrient deficiencies that undermine their health and lives. At the same time, the proportion of adult obesity continues to rise from 11.7 percent in 2012 to 13.3 percent in 2016 (or 672.3 million people).
Hunger is mainly circumscribed to specific areas, namely those ravaged by conflicts, droughts and extreme poverty. If we do not call for urgent actions to halt the increasing obesity rates, we soon may have more obese than undernourished people in the World.
This year, World Food Day (celebrated every 16th of October), therefore, aims to remind the entire international community of their fundamental political commitment to humanity – the eradication of all forms of malnutrition – and raise awareness that achieving a Zero Hunger World by 2030 (so in 12 years-time) is still possible.
FAO appreciates the continued commitment of the Government of Nigeria in forging strong partnerships for nourishing, nurturing and growing a prosperous and peaceful Nigeria where all Nigerians thrive and contribute to socio-economic development. Achieving Zero Hunger is our shared commitment which can be achieved through a Right based approach.
The Zero Hunger Challenge is a global call-to-action, which aims to build support around the vision of achieving Zero Hunger. For Nigeria, this call-to-action is for everyone – governments, the private sector, NGOs, the public – to do their part to turn the vision into a reality.
The Zero Hunger Challenge promotes integrated approaches that respond to the multiple, interconnected causes of hunger and malnutrition. The comprehensiveness of the approach reflects the need to transform agriculture and food systems to deliver improved nutrition and sustainable and resilient rural communities.There are five key elements in the ZHC visionwhich include:
• Zero stunted children less than 2 years
• 100% access to adequate food all year round
• All food systems are sustainable
• 100% increase in smallholder productivity and income
• Zero loss or waste of food
For Nigeria, the Zero Hunger vision should symbolize a nation that is free from hunger, malnutrition and rural poverty, achieved through an integrated approach and the transformation of food systems, which is fully aligned with the 2030 Agenda and which sets out the goals and targets that we must achieve to make this vision a reality. Such targets are categorized as follows:
i. End hunger and ensure access to food by all people
ii. End all forms of malnutrition
iii. Double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers
iv. Ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices
v. Maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants, and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species.
Government hasthe most fundamental role in achieving Zero Hunger by ensuring that vulnerable people have sufficient income to buy the food they need, or the means to produce it for themselves – even in times of conflict.This however does not exclude the important role of the private sector, civil society, farmers and us as individuals.
The mission of this year’s World Food Day is to ensure the Zero Hunger Challenge in Nigeria bring together all stakeholders to communicate the importance of food security, nutrition and inclusive, sustainable and resilient agriculture. This year’s World Food Day Theme therefore reminds us of our continued commitment for tackling hunger and eradicating it in our lifetime. We continue to create awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and ensure food security and nutritious diets for all as a fundamental human right. Every individuals is called upon to buy only what he or she needs, store food wisely, love food leftovers, donate foods that would otherwise be wasted and know where every food comes from and put waste foods to use.
This year’s World Food Day 2018coincides with the 40th Anniversary of FAO in Nigeria. Indeed ourACTIONS now will determine OUR FUTURE. A #ZERO HUNGER WORLD BY 2030 IS POSSIBLE” in our lifetime.
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