Family Farming: Feeding the World, Caring for the Earth
Today is World Food Day, a globally-recognized holiday that celebrates the creation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. It was first held on October 16, 1981 and since has been used to spread awareness of not only the agency, but of global poverty, hunger and malnutrition. The key initiatives of the organization are:
- Help eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition
- Make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable
- Reduce rural poverty
- Enable inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems
- Increase the resilience of livelihoods to disasters
- In short, it’s an agency with a mission Lifeway can get behind.
This year’s theme for World Food Day is Family Farming – feeding the world, caring for the earth. According to the FAO, the theme was chosen because it draws attention to and raises awareness about the key roles family farms and smallholder farms play in the global food crisis. “It focuses world attention on the significant role of family farming in eradicating hunger and poverty, providing food security and nutrition, improving livelihoods, managing natural resources, protecting the environment, and achieving sustainable development, in particular in rural areas.”
To help spread awareness of World Food Day, we’re accepting their request and raising a glass in a toast to thank the farmers who feed the world (and provide us the highest quality milk for our kefir available).
Find out more about the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as well as resources for how you can become involved by visiting their website www.fao.org. Visit www.worldfooddayusa.org for more information about World Food Day and activities in your area.
Learn more about our commitment to sustainability and our support for local farmers at our website here.