FAO Rep Urges All To Join In The Fight Against Hunger

Members of civil society and other stakeholders are being urged to join in the fight against hunger, by Head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), in Jamaica, Dr. Gillian Smith.
Delivering the FAO’s World Food Day message at Clarendon College on October 15, she said that world food production will have to be increased by 70 per cent to feed a population of over nine billion people in 2050.
She told the gathering that the theme for the day, ‘United Against Hunger’, highlights the need to launch a new green revolution, adding that the task of increasing food production is a job for everyone, as is the goal of ensuring access to food.
“Partnerships with governments, research institutes and universities, financial institutions and regional development banks, farmers’ organisations, pressure groups, the UN system, civil society and the private sector are needed to achieve food security,” Dr. Smith emphasised.
She added that collaboration among international organisations plays a key role in directing global efforts to reach the international hunger reduction goals, and that “it is only by working together that we can realise our common objective.”
A major highlight of the day was a special project at the school, aimed at resuscitating its agricultural programme. The day also featured an exhibition by key agencies within the Ministry of Agriculture, sector partners and schools, which highlighted work relevant to the theme.
The observance of World Food Day was initiated in 1997 by the FAO, with the objective of heightening public awareness of the problem of hunger in the world, and encouraging agricultural production. The day is celebrated worldwide on October 16.