DUSHANBE, October 15, 2012, Asia-Plus — The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) honors World Food Day (16 October) by reaffirming its dedication to work with communities, civil society, governments and the private sector to end hunger in our lifetimes, press release issued by WFP Country Office in Tajikistan said.
Over the last year, communities on almost every continent have felt the devastating impacts of high food prices, natural disasters, climate emergencies and conflict, which have exacerbated hunger and poverty. Fortunately, working with partners across the globe WFP’s food assistance has brought hope and relief to millions.
“WFP faces many challenges as we work to ensure that the hungry poor receive the right food at the right time,” said WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin. “From the Sahel region stricken by the third drought in recent years, to unrest in the Middle East, to communities whose imported staple foods have become inaccessibly expensive, WFP delivers life-saving food assistance where it is needed most.”
In 2011, WFP reached almost 100 million people in 75 countries, including over 11 million children who received special nutritional support and 23 million children who received school meals or take-home rations.
“In Tajikistan, WFP”s targeted food assistance encourages parents to send their children to school, provides nutritious foods to malnourished children and women and provides a much-needed safety net for tuberculosis patients and their families. Food helps vulnerable communities build or rehabilitate assets that contribute to increasing food production and incomes and access to social services. When disasters strike, WFP provides emergency aid and helps rebuild damaged infrastructure and livelihoods.” said WFP Country Director Alzira Ferreira. “The overall goal of WFP interventions in Tajikistan is to improve household food security and support the country”s development efforts.”
The theme of this year’s World Food Day is “Agricultural cooperatives—key to feeding the world.” WFP works with agricultural cooperatives and farmers organizations in many countries around the world, providing training to help improve crop quality, strengthen business practices and increase access to markets. In particular, WFP’s Purchase for Progress (P4P) pilot project has worked with more than 800 farmers organizations, comprised of more than one million smallholder farmers, in 20 countries to build capacity and maximize developmental impact of food procurement.
WFP celebrates World Food Day along with its sister UN food agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The three Rome-based agencies often work closely together to invest in and boost the production of smallholder farmers and increase people’s access to nutritious food.
