24 October 2009 is International Day of Climate Action

So the call to action is on October 24th for you to place the number 350 at an iconic place in your community or some creative way and then upload the photo to the 350.org website.  They will collect the images from around the world and deliver the message to the media and world leaders to demonstrate how big and powerful with world wide movement for climate change is.  There is already a lot of creative activities happening to mark the occasion. On October 24th take a stand and do something!  For more information visit www.360.org/plan.

Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud

Persaud, during a World Food Day activity here, said it is very worrying that the region through its actions and policies seems to prefer importing food rather than using locally grown produce.

“It is my opinion that such problems have arisen in the Caribbean region because we, as a people, have moved away from our traditional nutritious foods and have embraced a lifestyle, including the foods, subtly suggested to us through a blitz of TV advertising,” Persaud said.

“In the process, the CARICOM region spends more than US$3.5 billion in extra regional food imports, and deprives our farmers and food processors of a commensurate amount of benefit,” the minister said.

“If the policymakers and people of our region return to the foods that we can produce ourselves, regional food security and food nutrition security could once more be restored. Guyana stands ready to play its part in ensuring that the world can achieve food security in times of crisis,” Persaud said.

He added that since Guyana had been successful in meeting the food demand locally, the aim at this time is to assist the region in satisfying its food needs.

Meanwhile, Dr Lystra Fletcher-Paul, Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) resident representative, read a message by the FAO Director- General Jacques Diouf which indicated that the recent increase in hunger had not been the consequence of a poor global harvest, but was caused by the world economic crisis, which has reduced incomes and employment opportunities of the poor and significantly

World Food Day was observed under the theme: “Achieving Food Security in Time of Crisis.”

The World Food Day theme for 2009 was “Achieving food security in times of crisis”.  With an estimated increase of 105 million hungry people in 2009, there are now 1.02 billion malnourished people in the world, meaning that almost one sixth of all humanity is suffering from hunger.

Let us work together to make sure hunger is recognized as a critical problem, and solve it.  The World Summit on Food Security is proposed by FAO for November 2009.