Skopje, 16 October 2023 (MIA) – With the slogan "Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind", the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) is celebrating on Monday the World Food Day - October 16. 

With a campaign communicating in over 50 languages across more than 150 countries, FAO is calling for action from governments, municipalities, businesses, CSOs, the media, the public, even youth, to safeguard water.

FAO Director General Qu Dongyu urges collective action, pointing out that freshwater is not infinite, and we need to stop taking it for granted.   

"With about 70 percent of all freshwaters going to agriculture, changing the ways we produce our food, fibre, and other agricultural products is the most crucial task. Consider that over the last two decades, each of us on Earth has lost approximately one-fifth of the freshwater available to us. For some people, the reality is much worse. In some regions, in fact, it runs closer to one-third. Unless we act urgently, we will increase our water use by more than a third by 2050 globally, given our planet’s growing population. That means, collectively, we risk reaching a point of no return," Dongyu says.

According to Dongyu, at the heart of the balancing act to address these combined challenges must be securing sufficient water for agriculture while reconciling the competing water needs of other economic activities, especially as urbanisation accelerates. 

"Governments must design science- and evidence-based policies that capitalise on data and innovation and coordinate across sectors to better plan and manage water. Water, energy and food are inextricably linked, and for policies to be successful, it’s important they manage often competing interests without compromising the health of our ecosystems," Dongyu notes. 

Making informed decisions about the products we buy, wasting less water and preventing flooding, disaster, and pollution are easy ways for everybody to contribute to positive action for a future of prosperity for people and the planet, FAO Director General adds. 

"They are central to achieving what we at FAO refer to as the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life – to ensure no one is left behind," Dongyu says on World Food Day. 

Photo: FAO