Transformation in agrifood systems is paramount for resilience and sustainable agriculture and livelihood improvement, especially in the face of emerging social and environmental challenges, according to Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in Papua New Guinea.
FAO Country Representative and Head of Office Bir Mandal said improved and quality production and enhanced food and nutrition security should be high on the agenda to fight the emerging impact on food security. He said the world is facing multiple challenges including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts, climate change, environmental degradation, rising prices, and international tensions; all having a profound impact on global food security.
“In just two years, the number of acutely food insecure people around the world has risen from 135 million in 2019, to 193 million in 2021,” said Mandal in his 2022 World Food Day message to the nation.
“The year 2022 is predicted to be worse. Famine and malnutrition are causing loss of lives and putting at risk a healthy future for our children. Thus, now more than ever, we need to continue in our efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for everyone, everywhere.
The 2022 World Food Day was themed: “Leave No One Behind”. PNG joined the rest of the world in observing calendar event.
“To ensure we leave no one behind, it is critical that we transform our agrifood systems to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life for all.”
Mandal further added that the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31 prioritizes this drive for transformation across all its work, in support of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. The 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit and other multilateral initiatives have set in motion dialogues to search pathways for transformation of agrifood systems which ranks top on the global agenda.
“Our agrifood systems hold great potential to lead us to a more prosperous and equitable future. Because they are interlinked to many areas of our lives and economy ranging from agriculture to natural resources, to energy, to health, and more,” he said .
“Smallholder farmers are central to transformation of the global agrifood systems. Youth also play a vital role in transforming agrifood systems. Their ideas and enthusiasm, and their stake in the future play a key role in ensuring that leaving NO ONE behind is at the forefront of our minds and actions.”
FAO has been in partnership with PNG for over 40 years. It gained momentum with the opening of the country office in 2013. FAO assistance in PNG aims at achieving food security through environmentally sustainable local food production systems, strengthening policy and planning, supporting rural development, and adaptation to climate change and disaster risk management as a small island developing state. FAO’s support continues in the areas of agriculture, fisheries, forestry, biodiversity conservation, climate change, and rural development. In collaboration with UN agencies, NGOs, private sector, civil society and local communities, FAO works to ensure that people have access to enough safe and nutritious food.
