ATI Deputy Director Alfredo Aton joins DA Undersecretary for Operations Ariel Cayanan and other officials from DA and FAO in leading the candle-lighting ceremony during the closing event of the World Food Day celebration. (photo by Alan Jay Jacalan, DA-AFID)
DILIMAN, Quezon City - The Department of Agriculture (DA), in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), led the annual celebration of the World Food Day (WFD) which culminated last October 17 at the Quezon Memorial Circle.
The Agricultural Training Institute, together with the other DA bureaus and attached agencies, joined the event which is also being celebrated in more than 150 nations across the globe.
With the theme Change the Future of Migration, WFD focuses on self-sufficiency in terms of staple food and market linkages of high value crops to improve the agriculture sector. The aim is to improve rural areas and lessen the migration of the rural people to urban areas where they believe there are more opportunities.
UN World Food Programme Country Director Stephen Gluning, in his message, stressed the importance of having food in every family member’s plate. The UN believes that with collective efforts from the agriculture and food sector, food security can be achieved, he stressed.
"We believe that hunger is the greatest yet most solvable problem the world faces. With your help and the commitment of the food sector, ending it is a done deal," Gluning added.
As the event drew to a close, a candle-lighting ceremony was held where employees of the DA family, FAO, and other agencies made the WFD pledge which states their commitment in taking part in the projects and efforts towards changing the future of migration.