Myanmar celebrating the World Food Day
Climate is changing. Food and Agriculture must too.
16 Oct 2016. The Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO) marks the observance of 36th World Food Day by celebrating the event in Nay Pyi Taw organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation of Myanmar. H.E. Henry Van Thio, Vice President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar attended the event and delivered opening speech. This was followed by the opening remarks by Dr. Aung Thu, Union Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation and the message of Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) delivered by Ms Xiaojie Fan, FAO Representative in Myanmar.
Over 1,000 representatives from the government, UN agencies, embassies, international organizations, civil societies and universities attended the event.
This year World Food Day’s theme, “Climate is Changing; Food and Agriculture must too”, is extremely relevant with current Myanmar context. According to the Global Climate Risk Index Myanmar was the second country in the world affected most by climate-driven quick onset hazards and disasters between 1994 and 2013. The country is also highly exposed to slow onsets changes in rainfall and temperature and vulnerable to resources extraction presses. This includes increasing saltwater intrusion, changing marine conditions, lower catchers in traditional fisheries that pose an additional burden to over 70% of agriculture-based population of the country, and expose them to threat of food and nutrition insecurity.
Collaboration is key to tackle these challenges. Countries, international organizations, farmers, academia, the private sector and civil society need to work together in order to make agriculture and food systems more resilient, productive and sustainable in order to reduce emissions, while at the same time ensuring the wellbeing of ecosystems and rural populations.
“We believe that by working together, we can seize the transformative potential of the agricultural sectors” said FAO Representative.
FAO in Myanmar, in close collaboration with the Government, is currently implementing a wide range of programmes and projects that aim at making agriculture more adaptive and resilient, these targets among the others mitigation, adaptation, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable land and forest management.
Meanwhile, Myanmar government has already taken initiatives that promote balanced development of agriculture, livestock and industries.
“Adapting food productions and agriculture to the changing climate would be a defining duty of our time to ensure sustainable food security not only for present but also for future generations” stated Vice President, U Henry Van Thio in his opening speech. Through the implementation of new Five Year Agricultural Plan, the Government aims at ensuring sustainable development and food and nutrition security in the country.
The World Food Day’s news was broadcasted on Myanmar Television channel. The news is available under the following link: https://www.facebook.com/mrtvwebmediaportal/videos/1217630431616114