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World Food Day is celebrated every year on the 16th of October. This day is celebrated to honor the date of the establishment of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 1945. This day is celebrated extensively in over 150 countries around the globe by many other organizations that are concerned about food security, like the International Fund for Agricultural Development and World Food Programme. The main principle of World Food Day and the reason behind the celebration of this day every year is to improve food security all around the world, mainly in times of crisis. This day helps to increase awareness of the absolute need for prosperous and safe agriculture policies to be implemented by governments around the world to make sure there is enough food available for everyone.
“We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink” – Epicurus.
History of World Food Day
World Food Day (WFD) was founded in November 1979 by the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Member Countries during the 20th General Conference of the Organization. The Hungarian commission, headed by the former Hungarian Agriculture and Food Minister Dr. Pál Romány, played a significant role at the 20th General Conference of the FAO as he proposed the idea of celebrating the WFD all over the world. Since that time, this day has been celebrated every year in over 150 countries, increasing awareness about the problems of poverty and hunger. Since 1981, this day has adopted various themes every year, and many of the themes are about agriculture. In recent times, World Food Day has focused on various features of food safety and agriculture, like biodiversity and climate change, and it also focuses on fishing communities.
Themes of World Food Day
1981 – Food comes first
1982 – Food comes first
1983 – Food Security
1984 – Women in Agriculture
1985 – Rural poverty
1986 – Fishermen and fishing communities
1987 – Small farmers
1988 – Rural youth
1989 – Food and the Environment
1990 – Food for the Future
1991 – Trees for life
1992 – Food and Nutrition
1993 – Harvesting nature’s diversity
1994 – Water for life
1995 – Food for all
1996 – Fighting hunger and malnutrition
1997 – Investing in food security
1998 – Women feed the world
1999 – Youth against Hunger
2000 – A millennium free from hunger
2001 – Fight hunger to reduce poverty
2002 – Water: source of food security
2003 – Working together for an international alliance against hunger
2004 – Biodiversity for food security
2005 – Agriculture and intercultural dialogue
2006 – Investing in agriculture for food security
2007 – The right to food
2008 – World food security: the challenges of climate change and bioenergy
2009 – Achieving food security in times of crisis
2010 – United against hunger
2011 – Food prices – from crisis to stability
2012 – Agricultural cooperatives – a key to feeding the world
2013 – Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition
2014 – Family Farming: “Feeding the world, caring for the earth.”
2015 – “Social Protection and Agriculture: Breaking the Cycle of Rural Poverty.”
2016 – Climate change: “Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must too.”
2017 – Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development.
2018 – Our Actions are Our Future.
2019 – Healthy diets for a zero hunger world.
2020 – Grow, nourish, sustain. Together. Our actions are our future.
2021 – Safe food now for a healthy tomorrow.
2022 – Leave NO ONE behind.
2023 – Water is life, water is food.
2024 – Right to Foods for a Better Life and a Better Future.
Other Celebrations on October 16
October 16 is also celebrated as
- National Dictionary Day
- National Boss’s Day
- Steve Jobs Day
- National Feral Cat Day
- Department Store Day
How to Celebrate World Food Day
Celebrate the day by participating in the events and celebrations of the day to understand various features of food security and agriculture to eradicate hunger and poverty. Also, post pictures and share your thoughts about the day on social media by using the hashtag #WorldFoodDay.