On October 16th every year, the United Nations and its partners worldwide observe World Food Day. The day is used as a platform to focus attention on hunger and food insecurity and stimulate solutions to these problems. For many young people in industrialized countries, this awareness is an eye-opener, as it becomes clear that hunger still exists in developed countries too. In fact, about 3 million Europeans go hungry each year according to the European Union’s data, and on a global scale, it is said that some 40% of people cannot afford a healthy diet?
Adding to this disparity, the world’s agri-food systems currently employ 1 billion people, more than any other sector, yet smallholder farmers (who produce more than 33 percent of the world’s food) still suffer from extreme poverty and a lack of access to resources including finance, training, and technology, due to the financial monopoly of their large-scale commercial agribusiness counterparts.
From a climate change perspective, not only does climate change affect the rural poor but also agricultural yields and productivity, and can contribute to changing nutrient composition of major staple crops.
Biodiversity and soil health is also suffering as a result of climate change, with the growing demand and promotion of resource-intensive foods, leading to the further degradation of natural ecosystems – due to their conversion into industrial-scale monocultures and plantations – only going to exacerbate this problem further. https://www.fao.org/3/cb5602en/cb5602en.pdf
What actions can I take as an individual?
Adopt a whole food plant-based diet!
Unprocessed plant foods – fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, pulses, beans, and seeds – have been shown to help in the treatment of many chronic diseases and are often associated with lower levels of type 2 diabetes, reduced hypertension, lower cholesterol levels, and reduced cancer rates.
Studies also show that those who adopt a whole food plant-based diet are less likely to be overweight and tend to have a lower percentage of body fat, which in turn will reduce the risk of many other diseases.
A whole food plant-based diet is also lower in saturated fat, higher in fiber, and due to the increased intake of whole plant food in their unprocessed form, such diets have a higher level of beneficial phytochemicals and antioxidants in comparison to the average western of the standard American diet.
Nevertheless, as with all diets, it’s helpful to do your research. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a great place to start in showing how plant-based diets can improve heart health and other chronic conditions. https://www.pcrm.org/
If you prefer reading, The China Study (by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell) and How Not to Die (by Gene Stone and Michael Greger) are great books.
For documentaries look to “Forks Over Knives” or “Plant Pure Nation” the second of which you can find free on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_i_vp9Vfho
“What the Health” and “The Game Changers” are some other great health-based documentaries that can be found on Netflix along with “Cowspiracy” which takes a more environmental look at our current food system.
Further info https://www.whatthehealthfilm.com/facts
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5579641/
#FoodHeroes @FAO
#WorldFoodDay