World food day-----THEMES

World Food Day OCT - 16

Since 1981, World Food Day has adopted a different theme each year, in order to highlight areas needed for action and provide a common focus. The theme for 2006 is "Invest in agriculture for food security". It was chosen because only investment in agriculture – together with support for education and health – will turn this situation around. The bulk of that investment will have to come from the private sector, with public investment playing a crucial role, especially in view of its facilitating and stimulating effect on private investment. In spite of the importance of agriculture as the driving force in the economies of many developing countries, this vital sector is frequently starved of investment. In particular, foreign aid to agriculture has shown marked declines over the past 20 years.

This year's theme

Year	Theme
2008	Social Justice

Previous themes

Year	Theme
2007	The Right to Food
2006	Investing in agriculture for food security
2005	Agriculture and Intercultural Dialogue
2004	Biodiversity for Food Security
2003	Working Together for an International Alliance Against Hunger
2002	Water: Source of Food Security
2001	Fight Hunger to Reduce Poverty
2000	A Millennium Free from Hunger
1999	Youth Against Hunger
1998	Women Feed The World
1997	Investing in Food Security
1996	Fighting Hunger and Malnutrition
1995	Food For All
1994	Water For Life
1993	Harvesting Nature's Diversity
1992	Food and Nutrition
1991	Trees for Life
1990	Food for the Future
1989	Food and the Environment
1988	Rural Youth
1987	Small Farmers
1986	Fishermen and Fishing Communities
1985	Rural Poverty
1984	Women in Agriculture
1983	Food Security
1982	Food Comes First
1981	Food Comes First

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World Food Day

In November 1979, the member nations of the Food and Agriculture Association of the United Nations (FAO) established World Food Day at the Organization’s Twentieth General Conference. World Food Day, which occurs every year on October 16 to commemorate the anniversary of the FAO, is a worldwide event designed to increase awareness, promote understanding, and encourage action against hunger.

Hunger and poverty are far too commonplace in many countries around the world. Thus, every year, World Food Day serves as a reminder of the FAO’s enduring quest to provide a long-term solution to these persistent problems. The ultimate goal of this initiative is to promote the concept that access to nutritious food is an fundamental human right and cannot be denied to any individual.

Objectives of World Food Day:

• To heighten public awareness of the problem of hunger in the world;
• To encourage attention to agricultural food production and to stimulate national, bilateral, multilateral and non-governmental efforts to this end;
• To promote the transfer of technologies to the Third World;
• To strengthen international and national solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty and draw attention to achievements in food and agricultural development;
• To encourage the participation of rural people, particularly women and the least privileged categories, in decisions and activities influencing their living conditions;
• To encourage economic and technical cooperation among developing countries...

Since its inception in 1979, World Food Day has been observed every year and in more than 150 countries. With the 923 million people suffering from hunger and malnutrition and current Global Food Crisis continuing unabated, taking action on this year’s World Food Day is more pertinent than ever. On October 16th, bring World Food Day to your school or community and help fight for the fundamental human right to food.

Other ideas for World Food Day:

• Give-It-Up to Fight Global Hunger: Encourage community members to give up an indulgence they don’t need. Instead, encourage them to donate the unspent money to fight global hunger. For example, giving up a morning latte would make a $5 contribution, making lunch instead of buying lunch would allow a $7 contribution, and watching a pre-owned movie at home instead of the theaters would save $12 for a contribution. Raising funds by giving something up for global hunger will engage your community to think about how much they have to be grateful for and what they can “live without so that others may simply live”.

• Organize a Fast for Awareness on World Food Day.

• Hold a drawing competition in the weeks approaching World Food Day and include the winning image in an informational flyer outlining WFD, its objectives, and the problem of global hunger.

• Hold a fundraiser to support a local or international project or organization (such as Action Against Hunger).

• Initiate a club or discussion group at school or in your community to continue addressing the issues all year long. Discuss global hunger as it appears in current events and the media.

• Put up posters and flyers detailing the extent of global hunger, the areas most affected, the effects of malnutrition, and ways people can help.