World Food Day 2019: Rwanda reiterates call for healthy eating habits
Rwanda today celebrated the annual World Food Day (WFD). This year, the day is particularly aimed at calling on everyone to start thinking about what they eat.
The national theme is “Ibikorwa Byacu Nibyo Shingiro ry’Ejo Hazaza. Indyo Yuzuye mu Isi Izira Inzara” drawn from the global theme “Our actions are our future. Healthy diets for a Zero Hunger World” which seeks to raise awareness and call for action across sectors to make healthy and sustainable diets accessible and affordable to everyone.
The national event was held Nyabirasi Sector, Rutsiro District in the Western Province.
Achieving Zero Hunger is not only about addressing hunger, but also nourishing people. The government of Rwanda with its partners are promoting and supporting projects in Nutrition-sensitive agriculture in order to make nutritious foods available, affordable and accessible in a sustainable manner to address issues of malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies.
While delivering his keynote address, the UN Resident Coordinator, Fodé Ndiaye, reminded that food is a basic and fundamental human right.
“Transformation of our food systems contributes to achieving all the sustainable development goals. The private sector can positively influence the food environment by adapting its products to modern nutritional recommendations,” said Fodé.
The One UN in Rwanda has supported and implemented a number of projects in the country aimed to improve diets and information on food access. Currently, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UN Children fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO) and World Food Programme (WFP) are working a joint project titled “Effectively fighting chronic malnutrition in Rwanda”, aimed to strengthen institutional capacities to address malnutrition. The project is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
The Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Gerardine Mukeshimana during the World Food Day event launched a national fruit tree planting campaign to mobilize Rwandan families to grow nutritious foods. The Minister urged the local people to always seek knowledge on healthy diets.
“Progress made been made in improving malnutrition. This has been possible through various programmes such as the National Early Childhood Development initiative for children from their conception to six (6) years of age, to reduce malnutrition and stunted growth among young the children,” said Minister Mukeshimana.
According to the Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis (CFSVA), stunting among children aged under 5 dropped to 36.7 percent in 2015. However, the rates are highest among the poorest households and those living in rural areas.
Among the activities conducted to observe this year's World Food Day were, planting fruit trees, giving children nutritious diets, and giving away cows to poor families. The day is commemorated at a time when over 820 million people in the world don’t have enough food.
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Teopista Mutesi | Communications Specialist | Email: [email protected] OR [email protected]