By Caleb Kuleke
Sogakope (V/R), Oct. 17, GNA – Mr Ndiaga Gueye, Officer-In-Charge of the Food and Agriculture Organisation Representative in Ghana, has stressed the need for government and stakeholders to work together to prioritise the right of all people to food, nutrition, peace and equality.
He said worldwide, more than 80 per cent of the extreme poor lived in rural areas and many relied on agriculture and natural resources for their living, noting that everyone including the youth could work towards an inclusive and sustainable future, showing greater empathy and kindness in “our actions.”
“By aiming for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, we can transform agrifood systems through the implementation of sustainable and holistic solutions that consider development in the long term, inclusive economic growth, and greater resilience,” he stated.
Mr Gueye, speaking at Sogakope in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region during an event to mark this year’s World Food Day, stressed that in the face of global crises, global solutions were needed more than ever.
He said though progressive efforts were made towards building a better world, too many people had been left behind, who were unable to benefit from human development, innovation, or economic growth.
“This year’s edition takes place at a time when global food security is facing threats from multiple directions, with soaring food, energy and fertilizer prices adding to traditional drivers such as the climate crisis and long-standing conflicts.
“Ending hunger is not only about supply. Enough food is produced today to feed everyone on the planet. The problem is access and availability of nutritious food, which is increasingly impeded by multiple challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts, climate change, inequality, rising prices and international tension,” he added.
Ms Barbara Clemens, Representative and Country Director, World Food Programme (WFP), noted that leaving no one behind regarding food and nutrition security was proving to be a challenge due to evolving global health issues, climate change and conflicts.
She said though food was available, it was inaccessible, under-utilised and sourcing it was unstable, disclosing that over 828 million people went to bed hungry each day according to WFP’s reports.
The Country Director said maintaining a reliable food security and nutrition monitoring system was paramount to protecting the quality of analytical models and the production of early warning data to trigger anticipatory action and reduce the impact of crises.
Ms Barbara disclosed that WFP was transitioning from direct humanitarian assistance, where historically a finite number of vulnerable people were reached, to facilitating impactful development work, with government leading.
She said their next Country Strategic Plan would focus on developing multi and common user agro-processing facilities and that, they looked forward to collaborating with all partners including traditional and non-traditional ones to jointly develop innovative approach that were sustainable and “leave no one behind” in Ghana’s food and nutrition space.
Mr Yaw Frimpong Addo, a Deputy Minister for Agriculture Responsible for Crops, said the government would continue to invest in agriculture to fully unlock the sector’s potential to ensure the provision of the need of the citizens.
He said the World Food Day was a rallying call to humanity to prioritise food and nutrition security, as a collective responsibility and that it was important to build the required resilience against the numerous threats posed to food security and nutrition, and from the shocks of both natural and man-made crisis.
“Our energies and strategies should always promote partnership that presents a combined force for creating enduring solutions to the seemingly intractable problems of humanity,” he said.
This year’s celebration was on the theme: “Leave No One Behind; Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment and Better Life”
GNA