World Food Day 2015

World Food Day is celebrated on Friday 16 October 2015. The theme for 2015 is “Social Protection and Agriculture: breaking the cycle of rural poverty”. 

The aim of the day is to broaden public awareness of the world’s food shortage and to strengthen solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty.

The UN has identified economic growth and sustainable agriculture as key factors to reducing hunger. There is an estimated 795 million undernourished people around the world, some of whom live in rural areas with agriculture as their only source of income.

Here’s how the Western Cape Government will celebrate the day in an effort to combat poverty and hunger:

Handing over a food mountain in Pella

Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities, Alan Winde and Councillors Suzette Little and Cynthia Clayton will be in Pella, Cape Town on Friday 23 October 2015. They will be handing over a “food mountain” of non-perishable foods to pre-identified communities. 

As part of the sustainable projects provided for by the Department of Agriculture and its sponsors SABMiller and Shoprite , 6 community projects including school and community gardens have been established and 87 households have received food packs.

Through this project, recipients will receive the supplies and the training they need to produce their own food.

“Food security is an important focus for the Western Cape. This is why the Provincial Department of Agriculture supports household and food garden initiatives across the province. In this financial year, we have committed R12 million to a range of these projects”, said Minster Winde.

How the Western Cape Government aims to uplift the communities through Project Khulisa

Project Khulisa runs from 2015 to 2019, focusing on job creation and opportunities to help improve the province’s economy in the tourism, agri-processing and oil and gas sectors.

Agri-processing is a key growth sector which presents an opportunity to increase jobs in rural areas which was identified by Project Khulisa.

The Western Cape Government seeks to ensure a growth in the agri-processing sector by looking at reducing imports and promoting local products.

“Under a high-growth scenario, this sector could add up to 100 000 jobs to the local economy over the next 5 years  and with the cost of healthy eating increasing, opting for local produce will give consumers welcomed relief”, said Minister Winde.

How you can you get involved

Get involved by: 

• volunteering at a soup kitchen at your nearest church, mosque or school, or
• making food parcels and delivering it to those communities in need so that they can also have a decent meal.