Collage of World Food Day culminating event photos, 16 October 2020.

To mark World Food Day as well as the 75th founding anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Philippine Government launched two initiatives envisioned to help the country attain Zero Hunger as part of its commitment to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

The twin Zero Hunger initiatives: the National Food Policy (NFP) and the Food Security and Nutrition (FSN) Roadmap of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, were launched on World Food Day held on 16 October.

“We strongly endorse and commit to action the newly-launched NFP under the authorship and leadership of Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said during the event, held at the DA-Bureau of Soils and Water Management in Quezon City.

For his part, Nograles — Chair of the Inter-agency Task Force on Zero Hunger that crafted the NFP of President Duterte’s administration — said hunger is a multi-dimensional problem caused by a combination of inter-related factors, and thus collective action of everyone is crucial in addressing it effectively.

“To ensure not only a whole-of-government approach, but also a whole-of-nation approach in eradicating hunger, the NFP provides an outline of the national priorities based on a comprehensive understanding of hunger and related issues,” he said.

The NFP outlines six key result areas, namely: 1) review and rationalize existing policies, rules, and regulations related to zero hunger; 2) ensure available and affordable food; 3) secure nutrition adequacy; 4) secure food accessibility and safety; 5) ensure sustainable food systems, food resiliency, and stability; and 6) ensure information, education, awareness, and people participation.

Secretary Dar, who serves as vice-chair of the Zero Hunger Task Force, said the 2020 World Food Day celebration is made more relevant as it highlighted the need to attain food security with a greater sense of urgency, as the Philippines and other countries worldwide contend with the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“With this year’s theme, ‘Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together,’ the Department of Agriculture (DA) assures our countrymen that we will sustain our efforts to ensure food adequacy for the present and future generations of Filipinos,” the agri chief said.

Also on World Food Day, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) also launched its first-ever Food Security and Nutrition (FSN) Roadmap that complements the NFP. The FSN Roadmap was launched at a formal event held at the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Complex (SKCC), Bangsamoro Government Center (BGC), Cotabato City and webcast live over the BARMM Facebook page.

Almost a year in development, the strategic document was turned over by Minister Dr Mohammad S. Yacob of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) and BPDA Director General Engr. Mohajirin T. Ali to BARMM Executive Secretary Abdulraof A. Macacua, representing Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim, Al-Hadj.

Minister Yacob said the roadmap "stipulates both the emerging issues and gaps, and the strategies and actions that need to be looked into, carried out, and sustained by the different stakeholders especially the government of the BARMM."

The BARMM FSN Roadmap seeks to “achieve a sustainable, competitive, and accessible food supply chain for Bangsamoro; a balance intake of Halal food; and an adaptive capacity of its communities, which shall guide BARMM in paving the way for self-reliance, food security and resiliency”.

The handover was personally witnessed by Mr Cesar V. Galvan, Head of FAO Philippines' Cotabato Office, Dr Mishael Q. Argonza, Head of the World Food Programme (WFP) Cotabato Office, and other officials from the BARMM and national government and development partners. High ranking officials from the partner organizations and agencies, participating virtualy and remotely, also expressed their support including Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, DA Secretary Dar, WFP Deputy Country Director Mats Persson, and Assistant FAO Representative for Programme Ms Tamara Palis-Duran, among others.

At the culminating event of World Food Day, which was held at the Bureau of Soil and Water Management Complex in Quezon City, Ms Duran underscored the importance of the two initiatives and the partnerships needed to carry them out effectively for the Philippines to attain Zero Hunger by 2030.

"More than ever, this need for collective and collaborative action is brought front and center by the fact that the world is already five years into the 2030 Agenda, and a mere 10 years to realize the SDGs. Things are further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is estimated to add another 83 to 132 million hungry people," Ms Duran explained.

"This is the essence of 'growing, nourishing, and sustaining together'. Of realizing that we need to work together in a well-coordinated fashion to ensure that our food systems become robust, resilient, and efficient to sustain people’s food and nutrition needs, even in the face of unprecedented challenges such as the ongoing pandemic," she emphasized.

Mr Gustavo Gonzalez, the new UN Resident Coordinator in the Philippines, who is attending his first WFD celebration in the country since taking office middle of this year, reiterated that "World Food Day is a reminder to the international community of its fundamental political commitment to humanity – the eradication of all forms of hunger and malnutrition – and raise awareness that achieving a Zero Hunger world by 2030 is not only doable but also possible".

"However, we need to bear in mind that the concept of Zero Hunger... is not just about feeding people but nourishing people as well. This requires the adoption of a multisectoral approach involving not only governments, but also international organizations, national institutions, civil society organizations, the private sector and citizens in general. This is the essence of this year’s World Food Day theme of 'Grow, Nourish. Sustain. Together'," Mr Gonzalez added.

The WFD culminating activity was participated in by personalities such as Mr James Reid and Ms Cherrie Atilano, DA Food Security Ambassadors; Ms Megan Young, FAO Philippines Zero Hunger Champion; Mr Mats Person, WFP Deputy Country Director; undersecretaries and assistant secretaries of the DA; staff of DA and its attached agencies; representatives from FAO and WFP; and the media. The event was punctuated by a candle lighting ceremony that symbolized the solidarity and commitment of all partners and stakeholders to the theme and goal of World Food Day.