ALLEVIATING HUNGER AND POVERTY

Oct 20, 2017 Editorial

Last Monday, Guyana joined more than 150 other nations to celebrate World Food Day. As is customary, numerous events were organized around the world for one of the most celebrated days on the United Nations’ calendar. These events promoted awareness and action against poverty and hunger, and the need to ensure food security and nutritious diets for all.
WFD essentially gives nations a chance to show their commitment to the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030. It is also a day for all to celebrate the progress that has already been made to end poverty and hunger globally. WFD was established by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)’s Member Countries at the body’s 20th General Conference in November 1979 in Hungary. In the United States and several other developed countries, World Food Day has been a tradition since 1982 and is sponsored by governments, as well as national, private voluntary organizations to educate their populations about the devastating effects of poverty and hunger on the poor.
Since 1981, World Food Day has adopted a different theme each year in order to provide a common focus, and to highlight areas needed for the reduction of poverty and hunger. Most of the themes revolve around agriculture, because only substantial investment in agriculture and education by the private sector and governments could lessen poverty and hunger around the world. This year’s theme was ‘Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development’.
Today, hunger and poverty are on the increase around the world, due to extreme weather events that experts suggest are linked to climate change and global warming. Hurricanes Irma and Maria which ravaged Dominica, Puerto Rico, Barbuda and several other Caribbean islands, are compelling evidence of this.
Another important factor that has contributed to poverty and hunger globally is migration. In the last two decades, more people have been forced to flee their homes than at any time since the Second World War due to increased conflict and political instability in several countries. The migration of millions of people today is presenting serious challenges to the destination countries because of scarce resources.
Guyana does not have any of the aforementioned problems, which makes us somewhat fortunate and some would say blessed. However, poverty and in some cases hunger are on the rise due largely to the lack of decent paying jobs and the cost for food and housing which have increased significantly over the years. More than half of the poor in Guyana base their livelihoods on agriculture in the rural areas of the country.
Addressing a World Food Day event which was held at the Bayrock Community Centre Ground under the theme: “Food Security and Hinterland Development…Our National Priority”, President David Granger declared that “there must be zero hunger…all citizens must at all times have sufficient food and access to nutritious food.”
These are powerful words which must be matched by actions. In the past, not much has been done to create conditions that allow particularly rural people, and especially youth, to have more resilient livelihoods in their communities. This must change.
There really is no discernible plan or strategy in place to stem the migration of youth from the rural areas to the city. A crucial component of any plan to tackle the migration challenge would require investment in rural development, which is now barely at a trickle. Such investment would create business opportunities and jobs for young people that are not only crop-based, but small dairy or poultry production, food processing or horticulture enterprises. It would also lead to food security.
We believe that meaningful action will alleviate hunger and poverty.

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