World Food Day: Pledge to end hunger and stop food waste on October 16

World Food Day is observed across the world on October 16 every year. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations was founded on this date in 1945. In its memory, the day has been marked worldwide since 1979 to draw attention to food security, the fight against hunger and the problem of malnutrition.

Food is not merely a need of the body; it is a basic right of every person. Yet crores of people around the world go to bed hungry every night, while thousands of tonnes of food are thrown away as garbage every day. The day plays a special role in ending this contradiction and awakening society.

The theme of World Food Day differs every year and covers important issues. Serious subjects such as sustainable agriculture, availability of nutritious food, water supply and the effect of climate change on farming are discussed across the world. Crops are suffering heavy losses as nature's balance is disturbed. Raising grain production by giving farmers the right technology and support, and delivering it safely to everyone in need, is the biggest challenge before all countries.

Food waste is the biggest obstacle to food security. Large quantities of cooked food go to waste every day at weddings, hotels and parties, and even in our own homes. According to one study, about one-third of the food produced in the world never reaches people's plates. If food waste alone were stopped, the world's hunger problem could be solved to a large extent. For this reason, schools, colleges and social organisations hold programmes on this day to teach children and students the value of food.

Small changes in everyday life can easily prevent waste. Take only as much on the plate as is needed, store leftovers properly in the fridge or give them to the needy, and buy only as much grain and vegetables as required. If food is seen with the thought that "every grain is the farmer's sweat", waste will stop on its own.

In today's hectic life, the use of junk food and processed food has risen sharply. Malnutrition, obesity and various diseases appear to be increasing as a result, among children and adults alike. World Food Day also carries the message of eating "right and nutritious food" rather than merely filling the stomach. Millets, fresh vegetables, fruit and pulses should be part of our plates.

Promoting sustainable agriculture is also the need of the hour. If farmers move to organic farming and cut back on chemical fertiliser, the soil retains its fertility and people get food free of poison. Only when the farmer is prosperous and the consumer gets pure, nutritious food will a healthy society truly be built.

Ending hunger and malnutrition is not only the responsibility of the government or the United Nations, but the duty of every section of society. On this World Food Day, everyone should take the pledge: "I will not waste food and will not let anyone go hungry." Donating food to the needy on birthdays or other special occasions and joining campaigns to save food is the need of the day. Respecting the labour of the farmer who toils in the soil, and using grain with reverence as the sacred "Purnabrahma", would be the true meaning of this day.