Sustainable practices needed to ensure food security, justice

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As the global population continues to grow, the demand for food is rising.

According to World Animal Protection, there is need for sustainable practices that will ensure food security and food justice through the protection of animals and restoration of ecosystems.

The animal welfare organization has called for urgent action to create food systems that prioritize the welfare of animals, people, and the planet.

Sally Kahiu, External Affairs Lead at World Animal Protection during an online webinar to mark World Food Day 2024 said annually, over 70 billion land animals are raised for food through industrial production.

“This system is fundamentally flawed. We must act now to create a food system that is not only environmentally friendly but also sustainable and equitable for those who work within it.

“The health of our planet, our food systems, and animal welfare are interconnected. By adopting equitable, humane, and sustainable food systems, we can achieve a better secure future for all,” she said.

To have an equitable, humane and sustainable food system that supports food demands, World Animal Protection is advocating for nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

It says governments must develop stronger NDCs targets that address the urgent need to transform food systems, aligning the latest climate science to limit global warming and to recognize Equitable, Humane and Sustainable systems as the solution to achieving Food Justice.

The animal welfare organisation also wants traditional food systems. It says stakeholders need to recognize the critical role that African traditional food systems (small-scale farmers) play in sustainable and climate-smart agriculture, which provides food and protects the environment, ensuring a climate-safe future.

Furthermore, it wants harmful practices stopped.

“We must bypass harmful practices caused by industrial animal agriculture, that are climate unfriendly; African governments need to discourage the entrenchment of these systems from the global north; and instead, promote inherent African traditional food systems that are built on principles of nutrient circularity and agroecology,” it said.

The animal welfare organization also called for climate Finance. It says climate financiers should redirect much-needed finances to boost the indigenous small-scale farmers who play a critical role in providing affordable food and livelihood to the local communities.

World Food Day marked on October 16, annually, was this year celebrated under the theme “right to foods for a better life and a better future.”

The key highlight was how everyone, everywhere, should have access to varied, nutritious, affordable, safe and sustainable food.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, there are around 733 million people facing hunger in the world, because of repeated weather shocks, conflicts, economic downturns, inequality and the pandemic.

Rafael. Mariano Grossi the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA0 Director General, speaking on World Food Day in Rome said millions go to bed hungry every night.

He said since 2020, food insecurity has more than doubled. Climate change is causing more crop failures.

“We need to grow more food—and do it better,” Grossi said.

In Uganda, 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 were held 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 at the National Semi-Arid Resources Research Institute (NaSARRI).

The celebrations were graced by the Vice President, Jessica Alupo as the Chief Guest.