WORLD  FOOD  DAY - 16th OCT

 - 2011  WFD  theme -

To the grateful, a little is good  enough

Together Everyone Achieves More

2010 United Against Hunger 2009 Achieving Food Security in Times of Crisis 2008 World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy 2007 The Right to Food 2006 Investing in agriculture for food security 2005 Agriculture and Intercultural Dialogue 2004 Biodiversity for Food Security 2003 Working Together for an International Alliance Against Hunger 2002 Water: Source of Food Security 2001 Fight Hunger to Reduce Poverty 2000 A Millennium Free from Hunger 1999 Youth Against Hunger 1998 Women Feed The World 1997 Investing in Food Security 1996 Fighting Hunger and Malnutrition 1995 Food For All 1994 Water For Life 1993 Harvesting Nature's Diversity 1992 Food and Nutrition 1991 Trees for Life 1990 Food for the Future 1989 Food and the Environment 1988 Rural Youth 1987 Small Farmers 1986 Fishermen and Fishing Communities 1985 Rural Poverty 1984 Women in Agriculture 1983 Food Security 1982 Food Comes First 1981 Food Comes First p/s WFD is a global observance and not a public holiday. World Food Day helps raise people's awareness of problems in food supply and         distribution. Well, poverty makes me wonder how our world got into this dreadful condition in the first place.   My verdict : It is vital to craft more effective policies and programmes, and to implement practices that will ensure better and fairer management of land and water resources. A development agenda that prepares communities for the climate crisis and revitalizes the farm and fisheries sectors is essential. Policies and programmes that promote sustainable livelihoods and climate-resilient communities should be prioritized and pursued. The The Cabinet should pass a law on land and water use that protects the nation’s food sources – farms and fishing grounds. Land must not be converted into other uses, especially in areas that are critical for food production. Existing legislation should be reviewed to secure the needs of women smallholders, as well as the demands of sustainable farming and fishing. Government agencies and their respective mandates need to be rationalized and aligned for the purpose of achieving food self-sufficiency. Public spending for agriculture should increase to a scale that will meet the demands of climate adaptation and food self-sufficiency. National budget allocations for sustainable agriculture should be increased. The government should also invest heavily in rehabilitating over-fished areas and introduce a raft of social protection programs to ensure that vulnerable sectors are shielded from economic and climate-related volatility.  Private-sector investment that can build the resilience of rural livelihoods and contribute to social development must be encouraged. Standards for responsible private-sector investments and operations need to be in place to govern the government’s public-private sector partnership agenda, and to define the scope and role of the private sector in the government’s adaptation agenda. One area where private sector expertise and resources will be most needed is in developing Malaysia risk-sharing mechanisms and weather index insurance-based initiatives for farmers and fisherfolk. Extreme weather events directly affect the productive capacity of farms. They destroy farms and fishing assets such as boats, fishing nets and irrigation systems. In the aftermath of a disaster, affected families sell off their remaining assets, often at depressed prices. Weather index insurance provides a mechanism for putting affected farmers back on their feet after a disaster strikes.  A more coherent national agenda that increases the competitiveness of Malaysian agriculture and mitigates the vagaries of the international commodities market and the adverse impact of international trading regimes needs to be agreed upon. The Malaysians needs a blueprint for trade and development, which places the empowerment of small farming shareholders at the center of government’s development strategy. The Cabinet needs to pass anti-smuggling and antitrust bills urgently. Equally important is jump starting a process that will review all trade agreements entered into by the government or are currently under negotiation. In the context of the climate crisis and the price volatility of agricultural products, it is critical to review tariff schedules and to align trade targets with the projected climate-change impact on Malaysia. At the same time, women’s contributions to agriculture production must be strengthened and supported. The government needs to increase women’s access to extension services, credit and social protection measures. Women’s representation and participation in policy-making processes must be institutionalized. In addition, consumers, small producers, development NGOs and social movements should amplify their calls for safe, adequate and sustainably grown food. Furthermore, the government needs to provide the right incentives and the regulatory environment for the private sector to be able to heed this call. At the moment, our domestic food system is not designed to survive another crisis. But we know that one will almost certainly come. So, the time to change course is now. Fortunately, we have the resources to do so. The challenge is to bring the government, private sector, civil society and local communities on board to define a fair and bountiful future where we could have food for everybody.