World Food Day 2021 celebrations began, with a global event where
participants noted that while the challenges of global hunger, climate
crisis and COVID-19 remain formidable, there is also a new momentum and
energy behind efforts to transform our agri-food systems, making them
more fit for purpose.

A UNFood Systems Summit
[www.fao.org]  last month
mapped out the broad outlines of how the world needs to move forward to
reshape the structures under which our food is produced, distributed and
consumed.

�??Together, we have been rolling up our sleeves to lead the
implementation and drive the transformation,�?� QU Dongyu,
Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations said in his address to the FAO-hosted World Food Day
celebration. He also pointed to the contribution made by the
ground-breakingWorld Food
Forumhttps://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/world-food-forum-2021-youth-take-charge-of-shaping-the-future-of-food/enconvened
earlier this month in Rome - a global movement that seeks to harnesses
the energy and creativity of young people to shape a better future for
our food.

Qu noted that this year�??s World Food Day finds the world at a critical
moment. Despite difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, �??in the
past year we have also witnessed the resilience and strength within each
of us.�?� In particular he paid tribute to �??all our Food Heroes around the
world who continued to work against all the odds to ensure we had food
to eat.�?�

Even before COVID-19, hundreds of millions of people worldwide were
afflicted by hunger and that number has increased in the last year to
811 million. That�??s despite the world producing sufficient food to feed
everyone. He also noted that 14 percent of food is lost, and 17 percent
is wasted.

The momentous challenges humanity faces were also highlighted by Pope
Francis and Italy�??s president, Sergio Mattarella in their messages to
the World Food Day event.

FAO�??s toolbox enables it to make an impact on these complex systemic
problems:

* Its work towards the objectives Better Production, Better Nutrition,
a Better Environment and a Better Life, is underpinned by a new
ten-year strategic framework, defining concrete inputs.
* According to FAO estimates, up to $40 -$50 billion in annual
investments on targeted interventions are needed to end hunger by
2030. Many low-cost, high-impact projects can help hundreds of
millions of people better meet their food needs.
* Targeted Research and Development and digital innovation to make
farming more technologically advanced and improved literacy rates
among women can significantly help reduce hunger. Better data,
governance and institutions are also essential, as FAO works with
partners forging their own national pathways to transformation.
* Among FAO�??s flagship programmes is theHand-in-Hand Initiative
[www.fao.org], aimed at boosting rural
transformation, urban food systems and resilient agri-food systems
by scaling up investments. Currently 34 countries have joined the
programme, based on matchmaking between suitable partners and
targeting the world�??s poor.

*World Food Day* is celebrated on 16 October every year to
commemorate  FAO�??s founding on that day in 1945.

This year�??s celebrations were officially launched with the hybrid
event today in Rome. The celebrations also included a special
lecture by the Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum
Professor Klaus Schwab, and a Dialogue on Tea and Coffee, exploring
the traditions behind these beverages. Events marking World Food Day
are  held in around 150 countries, including at theExpo Dubai.
[www.fao.org]
addition, there will be a multi-platform campaign celebrating our
Food Heroes [www.fao.org]
farmers, producers and others who provide food to their communities.

World Food Day 2021: FAO hails new momentum and energy on agri-food
systems despite unprecedented crises
[www.fao.org]