Food-Secure Future

AS the world marked World Food Day 2025, President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s message stood out as both a call to action and a reaffirmation of Guyana’s growing leadership in the global movement toward food security.

His statement was not just ceremonial; it was visionary, rooted in the understanding that food security is not merely about growing crops, but about nurturing resilience, equity, and sustainability across societies.

This year’s theme, “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future,” captures the essence of the collective effort required to end hunger and malnutrition.

It is also particularly timely, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), an institution that has guided the world through decades of progress in agriculture and nutrition.

President Ali’s message recognised the FAO’s legacy while reminding us that global hunger remains one of humanity’s most persistent challenges.

The 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report underscores this reality, rising global food prices and inflation have eroded household incomes, especially in developing nations.

As healthy diets become less affordable, nutritional inequalities deepen, creating a crisis that demands urgent and united action.

Guyana has not been immune to these pressures. Like many nations, it has grappled with the ripple effects of disrupted supply chains and surging food costs.

Yet, in the midst of these challenges, Guyana has emerged as a beacon of resilience and innovation.

Under President Ali’s leadership, the government is advancing a bold and comprehensive agenda to transform Guyana into the regional food hub of the Caribbean, a vision that blends modern technology with traditional agricultural strengths.

The blueprint outlined by the President speaks to a country that is thinking beyond survival, toward sustainability and self-reliance.

Guyana is scaling up production in priority areas, diversifying into new crops and livestock, expanding aquaculture, and exploring new regional and international markets.

Simultaneously, heavy investments are being made in farm-to-market roads, modern storage facilities, ports, and transport links, the infrastructure that underpins agricultural success.

Even more significantly, Guyana is embracing digital agriculture and climate-smart technologies, recognising that modern farming must coexist with environmental responsibility.

The integration of women and youth into this agricultural transformation also demonstrates a government keen on inclusion and empowerment, ensuring that the benefits of progress are widely shared.

But, as President Ali rightly emphasised, food security cannot be achieved in isolation. The path forward requires the partnership of governments, private enterprises, civil society, and international allies. Hunger is not a national problem; it is a global moral test. And no single nation, no matter how rich or resourceful, can overcome it alone.

Guyana’s commitment to this co-operative approach mirrors the spirit of World Food Day itself — the idea that shared goals demand shared effort. As the President expressed, “Together, hand in hand, we can build a better future.”

That sentiment should guide not just Guyana’s national policies but the global agenda. If the world is to overcome hunger and inequality, it must follow the same model of collaboration, innovation, and inclusion that Guyana is now championing.

The message of World Food Day 2025 is clear: food security is not a distant dream. With determination, investment, and unity, it can become a lived reality.

And Guyana, standing at the crossroads of opportunity and obligation, is proving that leadership grounded in compassion and vision can indeed turn that reality into a promise fulfilled, not just for itself, but for an entire region.

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