Food Climate Change and Hunger Safeguarding the Future
[Music]
[Applause]
we all
love and enjoy good meals don’t we and
with my favorite
chord rice today severing this south
indian
staple meal well talking about
indian meals in the last 40 50 years
i’ve seen india one of the most populous
countries in the world transition to
become self-sufficient
in food for production with 291 million
tons of cereals with some 75 million
tons
in food stock i witnessed the gin
revolution first time as a student of
agriculture science in punjab
india in the 70s today
with continued advancement of science
and technology fueling green revolution
there is enough food for everyone even
then
there are 609 million people across the
world
who go hungry sadly a significant
percentage of them
live in india but then india has
introduced
world’s largest social security program
like the public distribution
system integrated child development
services
and the midday meal schemes that
together reach over
a billion people in country in one way
or another in my 35
years with the united nations world food
program across africa
the middle east and asia in development
work
i’ve realized that access to wholesome
meals
is certainly not a given especially
a nutritious meal including in india
and when we say healthy wholesome meals
what do we mean a meal that has balance
vitamins minerals micronutrients
many sections of our societies may not
have access to and fully aware of the
details
of eating healthy children expecting
nourishing mothers a specific
nutrition need critical for their health
and growth
differential access to food based on
gender
differences is also a persistent
challenge therefore
mere availability of food is not enough
to address
hunger simply put stable food items like
rice or wheat
which are rich source of starch are not
enough to provide us
especially expecting mothers and
children
the micronutrients to live a healthy
life
in my plate here just has rice
with some salt this is not enough
nutrition especially if this is the only
type of meal
i’m eating day in and day out especially
if i’m a woman
or a child even worse
and this is what is happening to
millions
every day and you know what’s
fascinating
there is whole ecosystem farmers at work
supply chain land management and weather
pattern
financing and access that operates
behind
each meal that we eat and in this food
system
our ecosystem climate change has a huge
role to play
how one may ask extreme and
unpredictable weather patterns
dry seasons droughts floods
and climate phenomenas storms cyclones
and hurricanes
caused by climate changes are disrupting
agriculture
exposing it crop failure or
substantially lower ills
these account for up to 90 percent of
the climate related
disasters this can quickly
spiral into full-blown food
and nutrition crisis with disruption of
land-based
livelihood and reduction in local
produce
the food basket and dietary diversity
shrinks
compounding hunger and malnutrition as
food items
become unaffordable hunger
and pressure on food system contributes
to social distress and conflicts
therefore it is not a surprise that
climate change
and extreme weather events are among the
key drivers behind
global hunger distress migration
or social conflict in 2008 i was in
myanmar where i witnessed
one of the worst cyclone killing over
130 000 people
displacing three million and huge
destruction
to infrastructure and livelihoods
we need to strengthen such multilateral
commitment
across the globe the parish agreement of
2015
is a great example in this space if we
don’t
the consequence could be much worse
than with the kovite 19.
history has taught us that communities
around the world have lived through
trying
climate condition before and have
survived by
helping each other in villages in india
or africa
have had the practice of community food
or grain
pulling for supporting a person or a
family
in time of great need enough to help
them to get back on their feet
as a collective they have emerged and
survived many droughts
feminine invasion through centuries in
africa it’s called
ubuntu navigating the scale
and complex interlinkage of processes
like global and systematic hunger
food system and climate change can often
numb into inaction which is contrary to
what is
needed individual and collective actions
i want to use this opportunity to share
four accent points
with you the first action i want to
call upon is very simple yet powerful
please embrace the idea of sharing a
meal
as it is not just about giving food to
some
it is much more and is caring
the humanity is currently going a huge
challenge
wp estimates that due to the covet
pandemic
the number of acute food insecure people
across the world
will double to 270 million in 2020-21
second we must understand the
interlinkage of food and climate system
and how they unite us
in terms of its shared destiny and
impact
this will save our behavior and attitude
toward the food choices we make
especially the food that is wasted and
how
carbon imprint approach a day-to-day
level
currently one-third of the entire food
we as human produce is either lost or
wasted
third point we need to ensure that the
public and private institution provide
more effective services in preparing for
responding to and recovering from
climate stocks
and slow onset changes governments
must protect the population with food
meal or cash to prevent a rise in hunger
fourth point all planning policy and
program in agriculture
food security and livelihood must have
an
effort to build resilient activities and
adopt a new situation
and farming with less water and
adaptable crop varieties
also be mindful of how
where and when we source food items from
the further a food item has traveled
from to get to our plate the more carbon
footprint it has
eat local eat seasonal and support the
local growers
small estates by us as individuals like
growing our nutri garden
can help us set a culture of growing and
sharing
within communities share a meal
support adapter child or family
help them get back on their feet let us
also
spread the ubuntu everywhere thank you
[Music]
namaste