The theme for World Food Day 2024 – ‘Right to foods for a better life and a better future’ – is a timely reminder that everyone has the right to adequate foods.
But how do we get from a right to a reality? And why is it so important to think about not just having sufficient food, but also the diversity of diets? That’s why I speak of ‘foods’ in the plural, emphasising this diversity, as well as the availability, accessibility, and affordability of food for all.
Today, farmers around the world produce more than enough food to feed the global population in terms of calories. Yet, over 730 million people are facing hunger due to natural and man-made disasters, including conflict, recurrent weather shocks, inequalities, and economic downturns.
Billions lack healthy diets
Another harsh reality is that over 2.8 billion people in the world are unable to afford a healthy diet, which is a leading cause of all forms of malnutrition.
Simply put, almost one–third of the global population today is not getting the nutrients and micronutrients they need to thrive and, in some cases, survive. This means that the quality of life for roughly half the world is urgently in need of improvement.
We need a greater diversity of nutritious and affordable foods to be available in our fields, fishing nets, markets, and on our tables, for the benefit of all. This is not just about people’s nutritional requirements, but also about ensuring that our agrifood systems are efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable, so that they can be respectful of traditional food cultures and healthy diets based on science and in line with personal preferences.
Another crucial consideration is the long-term health and sustainability of the environment, which we rely on to produce these foods and which needs biodiversity to thrive.
The right to foods will not in itself fill stomachs or put more diverse diets on plates. But it does help frame our collective aspirations for the kind of just and equitable world we want to live in. It creates concrete obligations for governments and key partners to fulfil, and it should encourage all of us to do our part to ensure it is realised.
This is the reason for action. Now.
FAO’s role
At the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), we are working hard to turn this right into a reality, even in the face of a range of challenges. In conflict zones, access to foods is being disrupted, leading to malnutrition and hunger. In such hunger hotspots, FAO’s efforts are focused on rebuilding agricultural infrastructure to ensure food availability and accessibility for long-term food security, using all tools and channels.
Aside from such emergency interventions, key FAO programmes such as the Hand-in-Hand initiative, One Country One Priority Product, Blue Growth Initiative, and Technical Cooperation Programmes (TCPs) also target medium to long-term food security and nutrition across a wide range of countries.
In many places, dietary changes and market concentration driven by globalisation have led to increased health issues, including obesity and diabetes. School feeding programmes supported by the FAO play an important role in helping address these challenges, as they source food from local farmers and ensure children receive nutritious meals.
In many countries, across all regions, the FAO is working with fishing communities and local governments to expand social protection and economic inclusion of the most vulnerable by helping them diversify their production, build alternative income sources, and connect to new markets.
Inflation, particularly during periods of economic instability, can make food unaffordable. In some African countries, for example, FAO’s initiatives include cash transfers to the poorest households, helping them afford food during hyperinflation.
The climate crisis poses a significant threat to global food security. Erratic weather patterns and natural disasters can devastate crops and livestock. For example, in some countries in Asia, the FAO has introduced climate-smart agriculture techniques to help farmers adapt to changing climatic conditions, ensuring consistent food production.
Furthermore, by working closely with governments, the FAO helps develop legal frameworks and has assisted in drafting national policies toward ensuring food security and nutrition for all.
Also read: Food makes up less than half of an Indian household’s monthly bill, a first since Independence
Collective action needed
But it’s not just governments which we call upon to engage in this battle. Collective action can drive substantial change, with global collaboration of all sectors and all partners – governments, the private sector, academia, civil society, and individuals.
The youth also plays an important role here. A food-secure future is their right, and they are the ones who design and decide the future. All calls from the UN Summit of the Future are determined by the younger generation’s actions.
Farmers can make a difference by practising sustainable agriculture that enhances biodiversity and manages natural resources responsibly. Businesses can make nutritious and diverse foods available more affordably. Academia and civil society, meanwhile, can hold governments accountable by collecting data, identifying areas for improvement, implementing tech solutions, and measuring progress toward targets.
Science and innovation, including information technology, biotechnology, AI, and digital agriculture, among others, will be a decisive force for agrifood systems transformation.
Finally, all of us as consumers can and should play our role in reducing the “foodprint”, practising healthy lifestyles, raising our voices to influence decision-making, reducing food waste, and promoting food diversity.
This World Food Day, let us renew our commitment to building more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient, and more sustainable agrifood systems that honour everyone’s right to varied and nutritious foods.
Together, we can get back on track to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—our collective pledge to take action for people, the planet, and prosperity. We can accomplish this by transforming global agrifood systems to ensure the ‘Four Betters’: better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.
Our actions are our future.
Dr Qu Dongyu is Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Views are personal.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)