Ethiopia calls for food system transformation during World Food Day celebrations

Ethiopia on Tuesday celebrated World Food Day in Addis Ababa, the country's capital, with a call for joint efforts to ensure every person enjoys the right to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food.

ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia on Tuesday celebrated World Food Day in Addis Ababa, the country's capital, with a call for joint efforts to ensure every person enjoys the right to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food.

The day was marked under the theme "Hand in Hand for Better Food for a Better Future," aiming to support Ethiopia's ongoing efforts to improve agriculture, food security, nutrition, and natural resource management.

Speaking at the event, Farayi Zimudzi, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) representative in Ethiopia, said that despite better achievements in staple crops development and environmental stewardship, Ethiopian farmers, pastoralists, and fishers continue to face persistent challenges, including recurrent droughts, floods, pest outbreaks, and increasing pressures on land and water resources.

"The shocks continuously pose threats to agricultural productivity, food security, livestock health, and rural livelihoods, particularly among the most vulnerable populations," Zimudzi said, noting that climate change, conflict, and fragile supply chains further exacerbate food insecurity in the East African country.

The representative called for joint efforts among governments, international organizations, civil society, the private sector, and local communities to transform the agri-food system and realize the shared goal of food security and inclusive prosperity for all.

Eyasu Elias, state minister for natural resource management in the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture, said Ethiopia celebrates the day under the national banner of "Great Awakening," symbolizing a collective resolve to transform agriculture, restore the environment, and achieve food sovereignty.

"Together with partners, we are expanding mechanization hubs, digital advisory systems, climate-smart technologies, and improved seeds and soil-health programs, ensuring every farmer, regardless of size or location, benefits from modern agriculture," he said.

World Food Day is an international day celebrated every year on Oct. 16 to commemorate the date of the founding of the FAO in 1945.  ■