CELEBRATING FOOD IN TIMES OF CRISIS

Food, they say, is a basic requirement of life. It is that which feeds the body that feeds the mind that feeds the soul. Food is an essential ingredient in achieving health and productivity and therefore it has a large economic and political significance. The world shall celebrate food on the 16th of October 2009 as have been done every year since 1945. The theme of this year’s celebration is achieving food security in times of crisis.

Food security has been said to exist only when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. People must not live in fear of hunger or starvation. Food insecurity is evident when household members are concerned about the adequacy of their household food supply and there are adjustments in food management such as reduced quality of food, increased unusual coping patterns, when people repeatedly experience the physical sensation of hunger. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, it is estimated that more than a billion people, one in every six human beings, may be suffering from under-nourishment.

You must agree with me that the state of being food secure is not yet in our reality. A large proportion of Nigerians cannot be certain of a complete meal at all times. The increase in food prices around the world has had people unsettled for a while now and the belief is that the governments are not doing enough. We must reflect on the statistics and the suffering behind them. We have the know-how to do something about hunger in our society. Let us all work together to alleviate this critical problem because the consequences are great.

This world food day would be an excellent time to appreciate all those who have contributed to agriculture in Nigeria. It cannot be easy producing food in a country like Nigeria where subsistent farming is still the order of the day and there are inadequate storage systems, Poor distribution channels, and inadequate food processing system to mention a few challenges. Farmers, distributors, marketers, banks, research institutes, the Nigerian government, non-governmental organizations and international agencies have been working tirelessly to ensure that the nation is food secured. This target has not yet been reached; however, we must applaud these people.

Women should be specially commended because of their important role in assuring food and nutrition security. Their roles as producers of food, as managers of natural resources, in income generation and as providers of care for their families cannot be overlooked. Though women often continue to have limited access to land, education, credit, information, technology and decision making bodies, they still fulfil their socio-economic roles in food and nutrition security and in ensuring care, health and hygiene for themselves and their families.

Finally, we must appreciate the maker, who first ensured that man was food secure in the Garden of Eden. Adam, in the beginning, did not have to worry whether he would have enough to eat or not. He had the opportunity to diversify his diet and live a healthy life. We must also thank God for the wisdom and knowledge he has given to us in this present world to guarantee that we are food secure. The hope is that we would utilize this knowledge, remove the obstacles in our paths and ensure food security. Happy world food day.