Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today honored World Food Day and its theme "Biodiversity for Food Security" by highlighting increased U.S. commitments and pledging continued high-level attention to issues of food availability and quality in the United States and around the world.
"World Food Day is a way to acknowledge our accomplishments around the world, and to examine how we can do even more to meet the goal of reducing by half the number of people suffering from chronic hunger by the year 2015," said Veneman. "Our country is the world's largest provider of food aid and the leading contributor to the World Food Program. But that and other aid programs are only temporary solutions to food insecurity. Increasing agricultural productivity is one of the pathways to a permanent solution. Science and technology have the potential to raise agricultural productivity, increase income, and ultimately improve nutrition and health across the world."
USDA works throughout the year to address hunger and poor diets at home and abroad by preserving biodiversity, promoting economic development, encouraging democratic institutions and fostering the use of science and technology to increase agricultural productivity around the world.
In a video taped address for the World Food Day teleconference, Veneman said that the U.S. is strongly committed to protecting and promoting biodiversity. Last June, President Bush reaffirmed the U.S. support for the G8 Action Plan on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development. In June 2003, Veneman hosted the historic Ministerial Conference and Expo on Agricultural Science and Technology in California, and follow-up regional conferences were held in Costa Rica this past May and Burkina Faso in June.
USDA is working with several organizations to improve agricultural technology use and productivity in Africa and other poor regions in order to promote hardier crops for healthier people. Under the International Treaty for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, the U.S. is working to identify standard agreements that will facilitate the smooth international exchange of genetic material. This will help ensure that important research into plant breeding continues to advance.
At home, USDA's food and nutrition programs are helping to feed millions of low-income Americans. Thanks to increased funding, more children are receiving free or reduced-price breakfasts and lunches, more mothers and infants are receiving nutritional assistance and nearly six million more people are receiving food stamps than just three years ago.
Globally, hunger and malnutrition afflict some 850 million men, women and children, causing human suffering, political instability and economic stagnation. The United States leads all other nations in providing about 60 percent of total international food aid to relieve chronic hunger in the world's poorest countries and respond to famines and other emergencies, such as the current tragedy in Darfur, Sudan. In July, USDA and the U.S. Agency for International Development celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Public Law 480 Food for Peace Program, which has helped feed billions of hungry people around the world.
Improving access to food means much more than bringing nutritious meals to needy people. Food aid goes hand-in-hand with development and capacity-building efforts-sharing technology to improve agricultural productivity, supporting economic and infrastructure development, increasing access to education, expanding trade, and promoting open and free institutions. As in food aid, the United States is the world leader in international development assistance.
USDA's McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program is currently improving educational opportunities for more than two million children in 21 countries through school feeding and nutrition projects.
To be successful, food policies and programs must address a broad range of interrelated issues, including biodiversity-this year's World Food Day theme. Citing U.S. support for gene banks and sustainable agriculture, Veneman said USDA is dedicated to protecting genetic diversity in plants and animals around the world. Preserving a rich variety of life forms with different nutritional traits, climatic tolerances, and pest and disease resistance is one of the keys to feeding the world's hungry and ensuring adequate food supplies for the future.
Several agencies within USDA held their own observances or sponsoring other activities to recognize World Food Day. For example, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Economic Research Service are hosted a lecture on "Land Quality Changes in Recent History: Implications for Food Security."
World Food Day marks the founding of Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) on October 16, 1945