October 16, 2014 Food for all

World Food Day: The End of Hunger by 2025

On World Food Day, Caritas Internationalis, the international network consisting of 164 national Caritas offices, issued the statement that the world has the means to ensure the end of hunger by 2025. The organization argued that there are now no excuses for the fact that 805 million people still have nothing to eat.

“Having food is a right for each and every one of us,” said Martina Liebsch, Director of the Advocacy Department at Caritas Internationalis. “Since small-scale farmers provide the basis for food supply, they need our support in order to feed their families and sell healthy and nutritious food in the market. We have to begin the appreciate agriculture as a historically valuable and extremely honorable profession.”

Over the past few decades, Caritas has been working with families and helping farmers in different countries to make a living. Caritas programs have included improving irrigation, assisting farmers to save selected varieties of seeds, teaching environmentally friendly agricultural techniques, ensuring the operation of food depots, helping small entrepreneurs to unite and improving nutrition for mothers and children.

Caritas teams in charge of activities advocating the right to food, persuade governments in many countries to change local laws and policies that are responsible for leaving people to starve. Caritas Internationalis demands that governments take responsibility for the following:

• The provision of support for small-scale farmers and fishermen to ensure opportunities for obtaining sufficient revenue
• The removal of conditions that prevent small-scale farmers from selling their crops at fair prices
• Ensuring that not only men but women can also own and use land for growing crops
• The adoption of rules that prevent large companies and price speculation from hurting poor farmers
• The continued fight against child malnutrition

The events taking place in the framework of the campaign One Family, Food for All, also take place on the occasion of today's World Food Day. Hence, from the 12^th to the 19^th of October, Caritas offices from all around the world will hold various events and draw attention to the fight against hunger both in their countries and abroad. To mention but a few of these:

• Gardening in orphanages in Lesotho
• Eliminating food waste in canteens in Korea
• Sharing food with children living on the streets of Djibouti
• Promoting farmers meetings in India
• Workshops on the right for food in Central America
• Advocating local food in Canada
• Shared meals in France
• Caritas Tonga and Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand issued a report on the support of traditional agricultural systems
• In Peru and Pakistan, cooking contests with a requirement to use local food are being held. At the same time programs are being introduced to ensure food for all by local Caritas branch offices

With the support of Pope Francis, other activities taking place in the campaign Food for All will continue until May, 2015. The joint effort will lead further towards the end of what the Pope has called a “scandal” - hunger.

More about the campaign and possibilities to participate can be found here.

This article was taken from the site caritas.org.