Collaboration is key to ending hunger and childhood malnutrition in SA

"THE actions we take today will directly impact the future. We must produce more with less. Let's work towards a future that is more inclusive and more equitable.

- LISANNE DU PLESSIS

This quote by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Director-General, QU Dongyu, at the 2024 World Food Forum ushers in this year's World Food Day theme: "Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future".

This theme forms part of FAO'S 80th birthday celebrations but is also a commitment to do better. To this end, the FAO established a strategic framework, called the “Four Betters”, which stands for Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment, and a Better Life. It serves as a reminder that collaboration is essential to ending hunger and malnutrition, that sustainable agriculture ensures better food for all, and that global challenges need collective solutions that span across borders and sectors.

World Food Day, observed on October 16, shines a light on our enduring responsibility to grow, share, and protect the food that sustains us. It's a moment to honour our shared duty to care for the land, water, farmers, and the systems that feed us all.

This is also a key focus during National Nutrition Week, held annually from October 9-15. This year’s theme, “Food for Health, Health for All”, highlights the need for equitable access to healthy and affordable food for all South Africans.