FOOD is important for our survival. Yet there are millions of people who die from a lack of adequate food and millions more who are unsure as to where their next meal will come from.
The sad thing about it all is that there is more than enough resources to ensure that no individual go to bed hungry. The problem has been, and continues to be, the inequitable distribution of food resources which remain highly skewed in favour of the developed world.

This is why the call by President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali at the recent World Food Forum has found resonance with millions of people across the globe.
Under the theme ‘Good Food for All Today and Tomorrow’ President Ali in a virtual presentation highlighted the need to eradicate poverty and hunger by the end of this decade, which he correctly pointed out resulted not simply out of scarcity but one that is intrinsically linked to ‘systemic’ failures.

Something must be fundamentally wrong when 700 million people go to bed hungry each night and over three billion people do not have access to healthy nutritious diet. This fact has not escaped the attention of President Ali in his advocacy for collective action by world leaders to tackle this problem of hunger and malnutrition.
The problems are multi-dimensional and interconnected. Climate change is increasingly having a disruptive impact on global food production. Wars and conflicts are diverting resources from food production to weapons of mass destruction.

There continues to several barriers faced by developing countries which impacted adversely on their competitiveness on the world market. Several commitments made by the industrialised nations in terms of financing for climate mitigating measures remain largely unmet.
What is required is a collective and concerted approach by the international community to address the issues of hunger and malnutrition which continues to take a heavy toll on a significant segment of the world’s population, including women and children.

Guyana’s stance on a wide range of global challenges are exemplary. Its emphasis on a low carbon development trajectory has gained praise from the international community especially on the issue of deforestation and carbon footprint reduction.
Priority on agriculture and food production is second to none in the Caribbean. It is soon to reduce dependence on fossil fuel through several initiatives at green and clean energy including the gas to shore project along with wind and solar energy sources. These initiatives will not only significantly reduce the cost of energy but will enhance the country’s competitiveness on the global market.

Great things are in store for Guyanese especially in terms of energy and food security but the reality is that Guyana’s development is inextricably linked to international dynamics. President Ali is on record as saying that Guyana’s economic surge will also benefit regional economies. This is indeed a commendable gesture. His call for action at the global level to eradicate hunger and malnutrition at the global level by the end of this current decade is profoundly forward-looking and good food for thought.