Voices International - October 2005

October 16, 2005: World Food Day

Issue of the Month: World Food Day

October 16th is World Food Day. The theme of the day for 2005 is “Agriculture and Intercultural Dialogue.”

This idea recognizes the importance of dialogue between different cultures if progress is to be made against hunger and environmental degradation. World Food Day aims to increase the dialogue and solidarity around the issue of food security. (Source: United Nations; http://www.uncalendar.org/)

Roughly 10,000 years ago, the birth of agriculture meant that farming and raising livestock replaced hunting and gathering as the main modes of food production. Throughout history, as people have migrated around the world, so have ideas and practices surrounding agriculture. Maize (known to many as corn) was originally from the Americas, but today it now feeds much of Africa. Other crops such as coffee, grapes and wheat are traditionally from Europe and Africa but are now also grown in the Americas. (Source: Ibid)

Despite the vast knowledge that we have acquired about agricultural practices, more than 800 million people around the world are hungry, 300 million of which are children. Of these children, more than 90 percent are not suffering from emergency situations such as famines, but rather are suffering from long-term malnourishment and micronutrient deficiency. Today, more than 40 percent of people in Africa do not have the ability to obtain sufficient food on a day-to-day basis. (Source: Millennium Development Project; http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/)

Through the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, world leaders have made the commitment to reduce by half the number of people who suffer from hunger. As actions are taken to reduce hunger, it is important that the steps we take are sustainable, in order to ensure the future existence of resources that future generations will depend upon for food. By acting locally as well as globally, we can help meet the Millennium Development Goals and drastically reduce the number of hungry people in the world. See below for ways to get involved. (Source: Ibid)

Taking Action! for World Food Day

Halloween for Hunger

Many people only see hunger as a problem that occurs in the developing world, but there are also many people living in hunger and poverty in wealthy countries.

Quick facts:

841,640 Canadians use food banks every month—pop. of Nova Scotia: 936,000. (Source: Daily Bread Food Bank; www.dailybread.org)
39.75% of Canadian food bank users are children. (Source: Ibid)
23.3 million U.S. citizens received emergency hunger relief in 2001; equal to the combined populations of the ten largest U.S. cities. (Source: Second Harvest; www.secondharvest.org)

Poverty and hunger are universal challenges that need to be met head-on by youth, community groups and governments alike. By participating in Free The Children’s Halloween for Hunger campaign, you and your team can make a real difference in the lives of those living with hunger in your community. By taking action locally, you will be doing your part to fight the global problem of hunger.

For more information about Halloween for Hunger and how you can help, please visit the Free The Children Updates section of this newsletter or contact us.

Useful Links:

The United Nations: World Food Day
Visit the UN website for World Food Day to find out more information and access further resources.

Millennium Development Project
This website focuses on the Millennium Development Goals and has lots of information such as “fast facts” on hunger and poverty as well as other important issues such as health and education.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations
This website has lots of statistics on the current situation regarding hunger throughout the world and also has links to many more useful resources.

http://www.rifoodbank.org/what_kidscafe.htm