Improve food security

EVERY day, people around the world do not have enough food to support a healthy, active lifestyle.
Between 720 and 811 million people in the world faced hunger in 2020 – as many as 161 million more than in 2019.
The world is at a critical juncture: it is very different to where it was six years ago when it committed to the goal of ending hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition by 2030.
The Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is having a devastating impact on the world’s economy.
The food security and nutrition status of millions of people, including children, would deteriorate if we do not take swift action.
Before 2019, conflict, extreme weather events linked to climate change, economic slowdown and rapidly increasing overweight and obesity levels are reversing progress made in the fight against hunger and malnutrition. The pandemic, to date, continues to expose weaknesses in our food systems, which threaten the lives and livelihoods of people around the world, particularly the most vulnerable and those living in fragile contexts.
Papua New Guinea is no exception to this as the country is not immune to any of the issues mentioned above.
On Saturday, PNG joined the rest of the world in celebrating World Food Day in honour of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations in 1945.
This year’s theme was “Our actions Are our Future – Better Production, Better Nutrition, A Better Environment and A Better Life’.
The food we choose and the way we consume it affect our health and that of our planet.
It has an impact on the way agri-food systems work. The Covid-19 global health crisis has been a time to reflect on things we truly cherish and our most basic needs.
It is time also to recognise the need to support our food heroes – farmers and workers throughout the food system – who are making sure that food makes its way from farm to fork even amid disruptions as unprecedented as the current Covid-19 crisis.
In PNG, the key challenges to food security are poor quality dietary, poverty and climate change.
Food security is an issue that needs to be highlighted before it reaches the crisis point in nutrition.
Rural poverty is primarily caused by low level of incomes and poor access to socio-economic services such as schools, hospitals and markets.
Dietary deficiencies are caused by limited access to protein foods, leading to high rate of malnutrition.
The Department of Agriculture and Livestock, together with these actors, will continue to work in partnership to make sure that our food systems grow a variety of food to nourish a growing population and sustain the planet together.
Ensuring the resilience of rural communities requires an approach that is mindful of the environment that leverages the power of technological innovation and creates stable and rewarding employment opportunities.
Our smallholder farmers need to adopt new, sustainable agricultural methods to increase productivity and income.
In spite of the importance of agriculture as the driving force in the economies of many developing countries, not just for providing food, we are of the view that this vital sector is frequently starved of investment.
And the sad thing also is that PNG, despite boasting that we are a country with resources galore and hectares of fertile agricultural land, still cannot properly and adequately feed our rural population, especially children.
The most vulnerable populations in PNG should have equal and safe access and nutritious food in sufficient quantity and quality to improve and maintain a healthy and active life.