National Ceremony and Exhibition to Mark World Food Day 2014

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries observed World Food Day 2014 on Wednesday, October 15, with the staging of a national ceremony and exhibition at the Anchovy High School in St. James.

The event, got underway at 10:00 a.m., and featured displays by a number of agricultural stakeholders.

Among the exhibitors were: the Ministry’s Plant Quarantine and Research and Development Division; the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) office in Kingston; the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) in Portland; Jamaica 4-H Clubs across the island; the National Irrigation Commission (NIC); the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS); Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA); and Jamaica Banana Accompanying Measures project funded by the European Union (EU) and the Government of Jamaica.

Minister of State in the Ministry, Hon. Luther Buchanan, delivered the main address, while Head of Cooperation for the EU Delegation in Jamaica, Jesús Orús Báguena; and FAO Representative of Jamaica, Bahamas and Belize, Dr. Jerome Thomas, brought greetings.

World Food Day is an annual observance of the FAO of the United Nations (UN), which seeks to bring focus to man’s perpetual struggle against hunger and malnutrition.

Celebrated since 1979, it turns the spotlight on agricultural food production and seeks to stimulate national, bilateral, multilateral and non-governmental efforts to this end; and promotes the transfer of technologies to developing countries.

This year’s international celebration, on Thursday, October 16, will focus on ‘Family Farming: feeding the world, caring for the earth’.  The UN has designated 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming.

Director General of the FAO, Jose Graziano da Silva, in his World Food Day message, said that throughout the world, family farmers play a crucial socio-economic, environmental and cultural role which, amid serious challenges, needs to be cherished and strengthened through innovation.

“This year’s World Food Day celebrates the contribution family farmers make to food security and sustainable development; they feed the world and care for the earth.  Around 500 million of the world’s 570 million farms are run by families,” Mr. da Silva said.

Founded in 1945, the FAO has a mandate to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living, to improve agricultural productivity, and to better the condition of rural populations.