The Right to food is a fundamental human right

Last Wednesday, October 16, Ghana joined the rest of the world to observe this year’s World Food Day on the theme, “Right to Food for a Better Life and a Better Future,” which serves as a reminder of the importance of food security and the global commitment to ending hunger.

On October 16 every year, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) set the day aside to serve as a valuable platform to raise awareness about hunger and inspire action for the future of food, people and the planet and to promote understanding of healthy diets and nutritional needs. 

Meeting SDG 2

The FAO officially declared October 16 as World Food Day in 1979, which serves as an opportunity to advocate a stronger dedication to realising Sustainable Development Goal Two (SDG 2), which aims to achieve “zero hunger”.

Last Wednesday, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), as well as the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, together with the FAO and the World Food Programme (WFP) and other development partners gathered at the forecourt of the ministry to hoist the flags of Ghana and the UN to signify the country’s resolve to deal with and raise awareness of global hunger and also promote action against worldwide hunger and malnutrition.

Food insufficiency is a national security issue, compelling every country to ensure sufficient food supply for its citizens. This underscores the vital role food plays in human existence.

Indeed, the right to food is a fundamental human right and its availability in the right quantity and quality is non-negotiable.

Food insecurity

Unfortunately, as a country, we are confronted with challenges that threaten our food security and there is, therefore, the need as a country to reaffirm our collective commitment to fighting hunger, ensuring food sufficiency and nutrition for all.  

Our continuous reliance on rain-fed agriculture is a threat to food insecurity as the current erratic rainfall pattern is a barrier between food production and hunger. This is evident at the beginning of the rainy season this year by the prolonged dry spell.

Additionally, the destruction of our water bodies poses a significant danger to aquaculture, an essential source of nutrition, and a serious barrier for the country to explore irrigation as an alternative to the erratic rainfall being experienced by the country.

Galamsey is truly a major threat to food production in the country. Aside from taking over the farmlands, its very activities make it practically impossible for the use of some water bodies for irrigation to address the erratic rainfall pattern currently experienced.

Earlier in an attempt to fight the activities of galamsey operators, the government set up a number of bodies such as the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Operation Vanguard and Operation Halt (which target was protecting the water bodies), National Alternative Employment and Livelihood, the Alternative Livelihood Programme and the River Warden.

Though these bodies put in their best, the fight is far from over, which has triggered a number of protests, demonstrations and strong statements, among others, by a section of Ghanaians to push the government to reinforce its earlier fight.

This has given yet a repeat impetus to intensify the fight currently and it is the hope of all that the galamsey fight will be won and our water bodies will become safe again for life.

Climate change is another big deal, which is altering the rainy pattern, rendering all of us vulnerable in our search for food security.

Surely, the time has come for the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to effectively collaborate with the CSIR-Food Research Institute to develop a new variety of crops that can resist drought and mature early to enable our farmers to navigate the erratic rainfall pattern the country is experiencing in recent times.

Our farmers must be educated and sensitised to adopt the use of improved farming methods, including the use of improved seeds, which are drought-resistant and early maturing to contain the ever-changing weather conditions.

In Ghana, despite all our efforts to ensure food availability, many communities still face barriers to accessing nutritious food due to challenges such as climate change, rising food prices or socio-economic disparities.

This year’s World Food Day, reminds us that the right to food, which underlines the critical role diverse and nutritious food played in building resilience in the agrifood system that could withstand global challenges is a fundamental human right.