On this day in Labor History the year was 1979. That was the day that the United Nation’s established the idea of holding an annual “World Food Day.”
The aim of the day is to bring global attention to the problem of hunger and to build international solidarity to fight the problem. The first World Food Day was observed two years later.
One feature of the day is a teleconference, that brings together some of the world’s top experts in the fields of agriculture, nutrition and human rights.
Each year a different theme is chosen for the day. For the first two years the theme was simply, “Food Comes First.” In 1984, the chosen theme was “Women in Agriculture. Women were again the focus in 1998, with the theme “Women Feed the World.”
In 1986, the day featured “Fishermen and Fishing Communities.” “Small Farmer” were the theme in 1987, and in 2014, the theme was “Family Farming: Feeding the World, Caring for the Earth.” That year the United Nations declared 2014 “International Year of Family Farming.”
A UN report found that 500 million family farms “make up over 98% of farming holdings” and were responsible for “at least 56% of agricultural production.”
In the United States family farmers produced “84 percent of all produce.” The website for the 2014 World Food Day in the United States and Canada, recognized the importance of family farm workers.
It stated, “And yet, despite their critical importance, a large majority of family farmers are among the world’s most vulnerable populations. Ironically, it’s not uncommon for many of the families who produce food to actually go hungry themselves.”
Today, on World Food Day take a moment and thank a farmer
May 11 - Organizing in the Fields
May 10 - Bankruptcy Bonanza for Big Bankers
May 9 - The Historic ‘34 West Coast Maritime Strike Begins
May 8 - Mary Marcy is Born
May 7 - Popeye The Union Man
May 6 - FDR Rolls Out the WPA
May 5 - The Bay View Massacre
May 4 - UE Beats Back HUAC in Dayton
May 3 - First Workers Compensation Law is Passed
May 2 - Our Thing is DRUM!
May 1 - Mayday Marchers Attacked in Cleveland
April 30 - Refinery Workers Walk Off the Job
April 29 - Allis-Chalmers and the Road to Taft-Hartley
April 28 - OSHA Goes Into Effect
April 27 - Disaster in West Virginia
April 26 - National Guard Ousts Montgomery Ward CEO
April 25 - UAW Mobilizes Against Taft-Hartley
April 24 - The California Spinach Riot
April 23 - Sitting Down for Dignity at Ford
April 22 - The Red Jacket Mine Explosion
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