Opinion Pieces Discuss Food Security, Recognize World Food Day

The following opinions discuss various aspects of food security and recognize World Food Day, marked on October 16.

CNN: Can we feed everyone?
Evan Fraser, a Canada research chair at the University of Guelph, a visiting professor at the University of British Columbia, and a fellow of the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation

“…Can the world’s supply of food continue to meet demand? World Food Day, being marked Thursday, seems as good a time as any to wrestle with this question. And for once, it looks like there is actually some good news in the fight against global hunger. … Yes, famines, droughts, and food riots will be an increasing feature of the headlines in the decades ahead. But this should not distract from the underlying: The world can have a well-fed future, one where everyone has enough to eat” (10/16).

National Geographic: To Combat Malnutrition, Don’t Just Produce More Food — Produce Better Food
José Graziano da Silva, director general of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

“…Overcoming hunger and malnutrition in the 21st century no longer means simply increasing the quantity of available food. Quality must also increase. We can do this most effectively by creating nutritious, sustainable, and responsive food systems. … A strong political commitment is required to improve our food systems. Nutrition needs to be moved higher up the development agenda. Better diets have to become an explicit objective of policies, programs, and interventions in the food systems. Agricultural research and development must focus on finding new and improved ways to produce more diverse, balanced, and healthy diets that include more nutrient-rich foods and to support farmers in fostering local biodiversity and diversified farming systems…” (10/15).

Huffington Post: Progress on World Food Day: Food Security Legislation Moves Forward
Katie Lee, policy manager at InterAction

“…Congress must pass legislation that would authorize Feed the Future, the critical U.S. government program for global food and nutrition security. In doing so, we can solidify U.S. leadership in fighting poverty, build and improve upon the vital work of the Feed the Future Initiative, and continue to leverage a whole-of-government approach to tackling global hunger and malnutrition. And most importantly, we can continue our fight against hunger, malnutrition, and extreme poverty over the long-term, until a future World Food Day when 805 million has become zero” (10/15).

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