World Food Day is an international day celebrated every year worldwide on October 16 to commemorate the date of the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in 1945. The day is celebrated widely by many other organizations concerned with hunger and food security, including the World Food Programmed, the World Health Organization and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. WFP received the Nobel Prize in Peace for 2020 for their efforts to combat hunger, contribute to peace in conflict areas, and for playing a leading role in stopping the use of hunger in the form of a weapon for war and conflict.
The World Food Day theme for 2014 was Family Farming: “Feeding the world, caring for the earth”; in 2015 it was “Social Protection and Agriculture: Breaking the Cycle of Rural Poverty”; in 2016 it is Climate Change: “Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must too” which echoes the theme of 2008, and of 2002 and 1989 before that. The theme of 2020 was “Grow, nourish, sustain. Together. Our actions are our future.
Origins
World Food Day (WFD) was established by FAO’s Member Countries at the Organization’s 20th General Conference in November 1979. The Hungarian Delegation, led by the former Hungarian Minister of Agriculture and Food Dr. Pál Romány, played an active role at the 20th Session of the FAO Conference and suggested the idea of celebrating the WFD worldwide. It has since been observed every year in more than 150 countries, raising awareness of the issues behind poverty and hunger
Themes
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. FAO issued World Food Day medals each year to commemorate and promote the anniversary.
Most of the themes revolve around agriculture 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.
- 1981: Food comes first
- 1982: Food comes first
- 1983: Food security
- 1984: Women in agriculture
- 1985: Rural poverty
- 1986: Fishermen and fishing communities
- 1987: Small farmers
- 1988: Rural youth
- 1989: Food and the environment
- 1990: Food for the future
- 1991: Trees for life
- 1992: Food and nutrition
- 1993: Harvesting nature’s diversity
- 1994: Water for life
- 1995: Food for all
- 1996: Fighting hunger and malnutrition
- 1997: Investing in food security
- 1998: Women feed the world
- 1999: Youth against hunger
- 2000: A millennium free from hunger
- 2001: Fight hunger to reduce poverty
- 2002: Water: source of food security
- 2003: Working together for an international alliance against hunger
- 2004: Biodiversity for food security
- 2005: Agriculture and intercultural dialogue
- 2006: Investing in agriculture for food security
- 2007: The right to food
- 2008: World food security: the challenges of climate change and bioenergy
- 2009: Achieving food security in times of crisis
- 2010: United against hunger
- 2011: Food prices – from crisis to stability
- 2012: Agricultural cooperatives – key to feeding the world
- 2013: Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition
- 2014: Family Farming: “Feeding the world, caring for the earth”
- 2015: “Social Protection and Agriculture: Breaking the Cycle of Rural Poverty”
- 2016: Climate change: “Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must too”
- 2017: Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development.
- 2018: “Our Actions Are Our Future, Ending World Hunger by 2030 is Possible”
- 2019: “Our Actions Are Our Future, Healthy Diets for A Zero Hunger World”
- 2020: “Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together”
- 2021: “Safe food now for a healthy tomorrow”.
- 2022: “Leave NO ONE behind”.
- 2023: “Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind”