BAHAWALPUR: The notion of food security is about making food available, accessible and useable for

everybody at all times. Today, however, over 2 billion people are facing the acute problem of food
insecurity as they do not have regular access to healthy and nutritious food. The problem persists not
only in the lower income countries but also in high income countries, where many children suffer from
low birth weight and stunted growth.

The climate is changing, deserts are expanding and sea levels are rising. Our arable land is being
degraded, rainforests are dying and biodiversity is being lost. Freshwater is becoming scarce and the soil
is being rendered less fertile as industrial factories are poisoning our lands and rivers. All these changes
are causing acute shortages of food as many countries are facing famine and unless aggressive actions
are taken, humanity is at grave risk of seeing a continued rise in the rate of hunger.

To fix our food system we must work together. All sectors — from agriculture, food, health and water to
education, social protection and economic policies — must be seen working in collaboration with each
other. Furthermore, since fewer people are choosing farming as an occupation, it is becoming
increasingly important to promote local agriculture. Living and working in the countryside needs to be
made more attractive and the government needs to invest in rural development programmes. It is about
time that countries all over the world integrated food security and nutrition into broader efforts to
reduce poverty and gender inequality.

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