World Food Day is an international day celebrated every year around the world on 16 October in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945. The day is celebrated widely by many other organizations concerned with food security, including the World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
The World Food Day is an international celebration that happens yearly every 16th of October. The event takes place to honor the date when the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations was founded in 1945. Many organizations around the world, especially those concerned with food security (two examples are the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the World Food Program), conduct various activities during the day of the event.
About the World Food Day
The World Food Day is one of the most celebrated days in the UN calendar. It is participated in by over 150 countries. Various outreach activities and events bring together the general public, businesses, governments, NGOs, and the media. All of them promote awareness about people and regions that suffer from hunger as well as the necessity of ensuring a healthy and nutritional diet for all. In , the World Food Day will mark the organization’s 75th founding anniversary. However, the world is currently dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the events involved are done online and virtually.
History
The World Food Day was founded by the member countries of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) during their 20th conference held in November 1979. During that conference, the Hungarian delegation led by Dr. Pal Romany, former Hungarian Minister of Agriculture, played an active role and suggested the idea of celebrating the World Food Day on a worldwide scale. Since then, the event is celebrated every year, participated in by over 150 countries, to raise awareness and bring to light the issues on hunger and poverty.
Themes
Since the year of 1981, the FAO has adopted yearly themes for the celebration of the WFD. These themes differ each year in order to highlight specific areas that needed focus and action. Most of the themes are related to agriculture because it is the main driving force in food production which can address hunger.
- 1981: Food comes first
- 1982: Food comes first
- 1983: Food security
- 1984: Women in agriculture
- 1985: Rural poverty
- 1986: Fishermen and fishing communities
- 1987: Small farmers
- 1988: Rural youth
- 1989: Food and the environment
- 1990: Food for the future
- 1991: Trees for life
- 1992: Food and nutrition
- 1993: Harvesting nature’s diversity
- 1994: Water for life
- 1995: Food for all
- 1996: Fighting hunger and malnutrition
- 1997: Investing in food security
- 1998: Women feed the world
- 1999: Youth against hunger
- 2000: A millennium free from hunger
- 2001: Fight hunger to reduce poverty
- 2002: Water: source of food security
- 2003: Working together for an international alliance against hunger
- 2004: Biodiversity for food security
- 2005: Agriculture and intercultural dialogue
- 2006: Investing in agriculture for food security
- 2007: The right to food
- 2008: World food security: the challenges of climate change and bioenergy
- 2009: Achieving food security in times of crisis
- 2010: United against hunger
- 2011: Food prices – from crisis to stability
- 2012: Agricultural cooperatives – key to feeding the world
- 2013: Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition
- 2014: Family Farming: “Feeding the world, caring for the earth”
- 2015: “Social Protection and Agriculture: Breaking the Cycle of Rural Poverty”
- 2016: Climate change: “Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must too”
- 2017: Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development.
- : “Our Actions Are Our Future, Ending World Hunger by 2030 is Possible”
- : “Our Actions Are Our Future, Healthy Diets for A # ZeroHunger World”
Dates
As mentioned earlier, the World Food Day is celebrated every 16th of October each year. This means that the dates of celebration for this event are as follows:
- Friday, October 16,
- Saturday, October 16,
- Sunday, October 16, 2022
- Monday, October 16, 2023
- Wednesday, October 16, 2024
- Thursday, October 16, 2025
Celebration Ideas and Activities
The following are the best things to do to make your celebration of the World Food Day as best as it can be:
Participate in Virtual Activities
With the ongoing pandemic, the activities usually held during the WFD by the FAO cannot be done in actuality. It would have involved people flocking together in closeness and that would increase the risk of virus transmission. Despite of that, the celebration will push forward. Nothing will stop the FAO from advocating for food for everyone in order to alleviate hunger problems in countries all around the world. They will host different virtual activities that you should participate in.
Organize Virtual Events
Another good idea to celebrate this day is to organize virtual events that will help you campaign for solving the issue of hunger. Think of some activities that you can conduct. That may include a lecture, seminar, online conference, and more.
Celebrate on Social Media
You can also take your celebration of this day on social media. You can, for instance, use the hashtag #WorldFoodDay to let your friends and followers know that you are also participating in the celebration of this day. Let them know that such a celebration takes place every year and also how happy you are enjoying your day.
Quotes
- If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. – J. R. R. Tolkien
- The most powerful social media… it is not the internet, it is not Facebook – it is food. This connects all human beings. – Alex Atala
- Food is not just fuel. Food is about family, food is about community, food is about identity. And we nourish all those things when we eat well. – Michael Pollan
- To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art. – Francois de La Rochefoucauld
- People who love to eat are always the best people. – Julia Child
- One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well. – Virginia Woolf
- Money brings you food, but not appetite; medicine, but not health; acquaintances, but not friends. – Henrik Ibsen
- So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being. – Franz Kafka
- The people who give you their food give you their heart. – Cesar Chavez
- You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food. – Paul Prudhomme