@FAOGhana/David Youngs

Ghana marks World Food Day 2021

On World Food Day, the Food and Agriculture Organization, World Food Programme and their partners in Ghana reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring food for all with a resilient agri-food system in Ghana.

At a flag-raising ceremony in Accra stakeholders called for renewed and sustained efforts to ensure the transformation agenda to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems in Ghana.

This World Food Day is the second to be marked during COVID-19, which has had a devastating impact on food security worldwide, disrupted agri-food systems, triggered an unprecedented global economic recession resulting in a dramatic loss of livelihoods and incomes, and added millions to the 690-811 million people who suffer from hunger.

The theme for this year’s celebration is “Our actions are our future. Better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life” and aims to raise awareness of the need to ensure food for all through our collective actions.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted agri-food systems and triggered an unprecedented global economic recession resulting in a dramatic loss of livelihoods and incomes and has increased food insecurity and inequalities in many countries.

The need for sustainability of food systems has assumed new importance in the wake of the pandemic. It exposed the vulnerability of food systems with countries banning the exports of food during a crisis of this nature.

Speaking at this year's World Food Day celebration in Accra, the Deputy Minister of Ghana’s Food and Agriculture Ministry in charge of crops Yaw Frimpong said, “COVID has also taught us the need for increased value addition to food produced, the need to leverage technology for efficiency throughout the entire agriculture value chain and the need to reduce post-harvest losses through better storage and processing techniques.”

"The challenges of agriculture, including low technology adoption, high cost of financing, poor access to markets and low-value addition continue to persist and we must find solutions to them," he added.

The United Nations Residence Coordinator ad interim Ifeoma Esther Charles-Monwuba said the economic impacts of COVID-19 have made a bad situation even worse. "The pandemic has left an additional 140 million people unable to access the food they need," she said.

COVID-19 has exposed the fragility of national food systems, threatening to push millions more into hunger. Said Anna Mukiibi-Bunnya WFP Representative ad interim and officer-in-charge in Ghana, ”It has forced the world to come to terms with persistent inequalities and inefficiencies that continue to plague food systems, economies, necessitating us to look inward and check how resilient we are and what we need to do to ride these multiple waves,” she added.

Ndiaga Gueye Officer in Charge of the FAO’s Representation in Ghana noted that almost 40% of the world’s population cannot afford a healthy diet resulting in an increase in malnutrition in all its forms.

“FAO stands committed to continually supporting the Government's efforts and partnering with stakeholders to ensure a sustainable agri-food system that offers better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life for all,” he said.

Our actions are our future: solutions

Governments and institutions can make healthy diets a reality for all through a strategic, integrated and inclusive approach across sectors. Better policies and legislation, investments and good governance can build more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems.

Private companies can help to produce or promote nutritious and safe foods at an affordable price for all, contributing to sustainable healthy diets.

Research and academic institutions can support decision-makers through knowledge-sharing, innovation, strengthened data collection and analysis, and capacity building.

Civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations can advocate for fair, legitimate and transparent government policy- and decision-making, and mobilise to help smallholder farmers, indigenous peoples, women and youth to be active in legislative and political processes.

Communities can boost food value chains through technology transfers, and ensure women and youth are involved in decision-making.

We can all respect farmers – the men and women in agriculture, fisheries and forestry – who are our primary sources for nutritious foods. As guardians of the planet’s natural resources, their decisions lie at the roots of transforming agri-food systems.

Innovative technologies and training, finance, incentives and social protection can help farmers to provide sustainable and affordable healthy diets locally and globally.

What are agri-food systems?

Agri-food systems cover the journey of food from growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, distributing, trading, buying, preparing, eating and disposing of. It also includes non-food products such as cotton, forestry and biofuels.

About World Food Day

World Food Day is held every year around the world to commemorate the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.