MDGs attainable says FAO boss

FAO Director General, Graziano

The Director General of the United National Food and Agriculture Organisation, Graziano da Silva has affirmed that the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) is still within reach provided countries set up efforts towards hunger reduction.

Da Silva disclosed this at a session of Committee on World Food Security (CFS) recently that the developing world recorded a significant drop in hunger from 23.2 per cent to 14.9 per cent.

Although there are still about 870 million people facing hunger globally, but da Silva said the drop is an important progress.

He also made known that process targeted at reducing the rate of hunger in the world, especially in Africa and the Near East has been on since 2007 following the rise in food insecurity in Africa and the Near East.

"As we renew and increase our commitment to reach the Millennium Development Goal for hunger reduction," da Silva said that there is need to look beyond the MDG, towards the total eradication of hunger.

"When it comes to hunger, the only acceptable number is ‘zero'," he said.

Also speaking at the session of the intergovernmental body, the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon called on stakeholders to stand up to the global challenge of food security.

According to him, everybody is at the heart of the next big push in eliminating hunger in its entirety. One of the objectives of the 'Zero Hunger Challenge' includes a world where everyone has access to food.

Food at pregnancy and early childhood, and greater opportunity for small scale farmers also forms part of the objectives of the Zero Hunger Challenge.

CFS, NaijaAgroNet gathered was established in 1974 to enable the consideration of all viewpoints in making decision to address issues that affect food security, nutrition and economic crisis as well as the rising demand for food. 

CFS Chair Yaya Olaniran said finding agreement on issues of food security takes time and that the results of such agreement are policies that are grounded in reality and have everyone's backing.

 Yinka Awosanya/ED

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