World Food Day 16 Oct 2022 – FAO Says “Leave No Empty Stomachs” – What About Empty Pockets?

Sunday, 16 Oct 2022, is “World Food Day” and the theme is “Leave No One Behind.” The Food & Agriculture Organzation (FAO) of the United Nations says, “Millions of people around the world cannot afford a healthy diet” (FAO, fao.org). What is the problem? FAO says, “The problem is access and availability of nutritious food.”

Oh, I agriculturist from the University of the Philippines (UP) Los Baños believe in what the FAO is saying, 376 words in all, under the title “Leave NO ONE  Behind” – especially this part:

Governments, the private sector, academia, and civil society and individuals need to work together in solidarity to prioritize the right of all people to food, nutrition, peace and equality. Indeed, every one of us, including youth, can work towards an inclusive and sustainable future, showing greater empathy and kindness in our actions. 

To all that, I say, “Yes, ladies & gentlemen!”

Unfortunately, FAO does not mention at all the double-headed hydra called Chemical Agriculture (CA).

One hydra head spouts greenhouse gases (GHGs), the collection of which exacerbates Unhealthy Climates. Frontiers says agriculture contributes 21-37% of GHGs (frontiersin.org). In 2018, FAO reported 9.3 Billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

The other hydra head spouts unhealthy foods – Arising from unnatural nutrients from chemical fertilizers and the chemical residues of pesticides previously sprayed on crops against presumed enemies.

So, contrary to FAO, the problem is availability of nutritious food – there is zero availability! And there is unwanted “availability” of destructive climates.

What about farmer poverty? Chemical Agriculture is expensive!

That is the reason why in the last 22 years, I have been blogging about Organic Agriculture, that which has been expanded into Regenerative Agriculture (RA). (See my 28 Oct 2020 essay, “Regenerative Farming – Enriching The Soil Enriching The Farmers” in Frank And Healthy Minds, blogspot.com.)

“Regenerative Agriculture,” the concept originated/invented by American farmer/gardener Robert Rodale (rodaleinstitute.org) in the 1980s (USDA, nal.usda.gov), is the healthy choice – for healthy climates, healthy foods, and healthy pockets!

As an alumnus of UP Los Baños (BSA major in Ag Edu), I see as the major reason of farmer poverty the high cost of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. That is why Regenerative Agriculture is Heaven-sent to farmers – and I do not understand why the FAO does not mention it at all!

The FAO says:

Worldwide, more than 80 percent of the extreme poor live in rural areas and many rely on agriculture and natural resources for their living. They are usually the hardest hit by natural and man-made disasters and often marginalized due to their gender, ethnic origin, or status. It is a struggle for them to gain access to training, finance, innovation and technologies.

“More than 80% of the extreme poor live in rural areas and many rely on agriculture and natural resources for their living” – and that is why we must teach them Regenerative Agriculture. Now then, FAO, because you failed to mention Chemical Agriculture as the destructive two-headed hydra that it is, your voice is 50% Science and 50% Silence!@517

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