FAO / WORLD FOOD DAY

With over 800 million people worldwide still lacking access to healthy, nutritious food, family farmers must play an increasingly vital role in the global war on hunger, United Nations officials affirmed, adding that the strong participation of the world’s family farmers can help “turn the tide” in shaping a new agenda for a sustainable future. FAO

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:03:12
• Production Date: 16 October 2014
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION - FAO
• Subject Topical: NUTRITION; MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS
• MAMS Id: 1206939

Description

STORY: FAO / WORLD FOOD DAY
TRT: 3.12
SOURCE: FAO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS
DATELINE: 16 OCTOBER 2014, ROME, ITALY

Shotlist

1. Wide shot, exterior of FAO building
2. Various shots, preparation for meeting
3. Wide shot, meeting room
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jose Graziano da Silva, FAO Director-General:
“As the new hunger figures show, we have made progress but over 800 million people remain hungry. We can still reach the MDG1 hunger target, if we step up our efforts. We need to do this and we use the growing momentum to commit and act to end hunger. Zero hunger, that’s the true goal. And family farming is key in this effort. For decades they were seen as a problem to be dealt with, the truth is that they are an important part of the solution of hunger and sustainable food security.”
5. Wide shot, delegates
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development:
“We should also never forget that most agricultural labour is mostly done by women. And still women do not have access to the tools they need to be productive. We know that if female farmers had the same access to financial services as men, production in developing countries could easily increase by a quarter. Not to mention the positive impact it could actually have on the families of these women, their children, and their nutrition. But unfortunately a substantial gender gap still persists.”
7. Med shot, delegates
8. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kufuor, Former President of the Republic of Ghana:
“In Sub-Saharan Africa, over 60% of the entire work-force is involved in agriculture and they are essentially small-holder subsistence farmers. Indeed in many developing countries, family farmers constitute nearly 80% of all farm-holdings. These small holder family farmers are typically of small acreages and depend almost entirely on the labour of family members, most of whom are women, for sustaining and managing these farms. The family farm therefore, will continue to be crucial to the increased food prod as well as the increased agricultural productivity needed for sustained global food security and nutrition. Indeed today and for the years to come.”
9. Wide shot, meeting room (applause)

Storyline

With over 800 million people worldwide still lacking access to healthy, nutritious food, family farmers must play an increasingly vital role in the global war on hunger, United Nations(UN) officials affirmed, adding that the strong participation of the world’s family farmers can help “turn the tide” in shaping a new agenda for a sustainable future.

The theme of this year’s World Food Day, is “Family Farming” and has the goal of drawing attention to the world’s 500 million smallholder farmers in an effort to help eradicate poverty and help safeguard the environment.

In the meeting held today (16 Oct) at the Food And Agriculture Organization headquarters in Rome, FAO director-general said that for decades, “family farming was seen as a problem to be dealt with, the truth is that they are an important part of the solution of hunger and sustainable food security.”

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, who is also the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development, pointed out that “most agricultural labour is mostly done by women” who do not have “access to the tools they need to be productive.”

She also said that if “female farmers had the same access to financial services as men, production in developing countries could easily increase by a quarter.”

For its part, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization FAO notes that other objectives of the World Day include encouraging attention to agricultural food production and stimulate national, bilateral, multilateral and non-governmental efforts to this end; encouraging economic and technical cooperation among developing countries; encouraging participation of rural people, particularly women and the least privileged categories; promoting the transfer of technologies to the developing world; and strengthening international and national solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty.

World Food Day is celebrated annually on 16 October in honor of the date of the founding of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1945.