The theme the FAO has chosen for this year’s World Food Day is “Climate is changing. Food and Agriculture must too.” Between a growing global population and the fact that some of the world’s poorest will be hit hardest by changes in climate, the FAO says that in order to ensure the wellbeing of both ecosystems and rural populations, “agriculture and food systems will need to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change and become more resilient, productive and sustainable.”
Indeed, climate change poses a significant threat to hunger and poverty worldwide. It’s estimated that climate-related disasters could cause hunger and child malnutrition to increase by up to 20% in the next 40 years. Unsustainable food production degrades and wastes crucial natural resources, and the damage will only be amplified by our changing climate. According to the FAO, growing food sustainably means reducing losses from food waste and “adopting practices that produce more with less in the same area of land and use natural resources wisely.”
Visit the FAO’s website to learn more about how climate impacts hunger, and t how you can get involved the World Food Day 2016. Along with these specific actions, another simple way to support sustainable food production is simply by eating locally and supporting small farmers.
What do you think? Do you make decisions to help combat climate change and hunger? Let us know!
