Georgia, together with more than 150 other countries, celebrates World Food Day on October 16. This day is one of the most important dates in the UN calendar. On the World Food Day, The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reminds the world about the global challenges planet’s population faces.

The FAO official statement reads that this year, the situation is especially complicated, caused by multiple factors.

“The COVID-19 pandemic remains a global challenge, causing untold losses and hardship. The impacts of the climate crisis are all around us. Crops have gone up in flames. Homes have been washed away. Lives and livelihoods have been thrown into turmoil due to conflict and other humanitarian emergencies. Global food security challenges have not been this severe for years,’’ - QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations states.

The number of people, lacking enough access to food, grew by approximately 100 million people during the pandemic. According to FAO recent data, the number of people afflicted by hunger worldwide has increased in the last year up to 811 million. It is a paradox that, while the world produces sufficient food to feed the whole world’s population, 14% of this food is lost on the production stage and 17% more is wasted during the consumption. When combined with other stressors - such as pests and diseases, natural disasters, loss of biodiversity and habitat destruction, and conflict – it results in the challenge to meet world’s growing food needs.

‘’FAO, as the leading agency working on food and agriculture, has developed a toolbox which we are confident can enable us to make an impact on many of these complex systemic problems.

We have a clear sense of where we are going, framed in the objectives: Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment, and a Better Life. And our work is underpinned by a new Strategic Framework 2022-2031 for the next ten years that defines the concrete actions and inputs needed to make the Four Betters a reality and leave no one behind,” FAO Director-General states.

FAO Georgia joins the global celebrations of the World Food Day and launches a two-week informational campaign, dedicated to the food safety. This year, a famous chef and food technologist, Luka Nachkebia will support World Food Day in Georgia. Mr. Nachkebia will take part in the food safety awareness raising campaign. 

“FAO Representation in Georgia celebrates World Food Day with the rest of the world, this day is also the founding day of the organization. I am glad, that FAO continues its long-standing activity in Georgia and will spare no efforts to help create sustainable and climate-oriented agri-food systems in the country, in cooperation with its partners. These efforts will affect the future well-being of farmers, producers and consumers,” Mamuka Meskhi, FAO Representative in Georgia states.

FAO estimates that as much as $40 to $50 billion in annual investments on targeted interventions are needed to end hunger by 2030. Targeted interventions on Research and Development to make farming more technologically advanced, innovation in digital agriculture, and improve literacy rates among women can go a long way to reducing hunger. However, there are also other essential elements such as better data, governance, and institutions, that need to be added to this process.

On this World Food Day, FAO appeals to every person, to take part in the agri-food systems transformation and make responsible decisions while buying and consuming food – to choose more local and seasonal products and minimize food waste and loss.