Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 6836 I EUROPEAN SEED I EUROPEAN-SEED.COM HOW TO END HUNGER BY 2030? BY: MARCEL BRUINS World Food Day is promoting global awareness and action on the issue of hunger, and highlighting the need to ensure food security and nutritious diets for all. ust over 70 years ago, 42 countries assembled in the Canadian province of Quebec to create a new specialised United Nations agency working in food and agriculture. Their goal was to free humanity from hunger and malnutrition, and to effectively manage the global food system. Now, the Food a nd A g r icu ltu re Organization of the United Nations (FAO) marks World Food Day on Oct. 16, to celebrate its founding that day in 1945. Today, World Food Day events are organized in over 150 countries across the world, making it one of the most celebrated days of the UN calendar. They bring together local people in a spirit of community featuring events that promote global awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and highlight the need to ensure food security and nutritious diets for all. “World Food Day is also an ideal opportunity to send a strong and positive message to the public: we can end hunger in this lifetime and become the Zero Hunger Generation,” says Enrique Yeves, director, FAO Office for Corporate Communications. “If we are to achieve this goal, everyone needs to get involved.” This year is a crucial one in responding to climate change. World Food Day will be celebrated shortly before the next UN Climate Change Conference, COP 22, taking place from Nov. 7-18 in Marrakech, Morocco. Preparations will begin for the Paris Agreement, which was signed by 177 parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on 22 April in New York, to come into force. It’s why the theme for World Food Day 2016 is “Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must, too.” FAO helps farmers access quality seeds and planting materials of a greater variety of crops, Yeves notes. These varieties are tolerant to abiotic and biotic stresses, and can produce meaningful yields even under erratic, extreme weather conditions induced by climate change. FAO encourages access to these critical inputs, he says. “Where market economies prevail and agriculture is well developed, the role of the private sector can be indispensable in establishing seed enterprises. In many vulnerable countries, the seed sector remains weak for a number of reasons, including poor infrastructure, weak policies and a lack of access to markets.” At the sa me ti me, FAO actively supports community-based seed delivery systems that rely on farmer organizations and cooperatives, as the viable means for accessing quality seeds. “Whatever option works best, quality assurance of seeds and planting materials is imperative,” Yeves says. The reality is that extreme weather events occur all too often and damage crop production. When these natural disasters