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Every year on October 16, the world comes together to celebrate World Food Day — a global reminder that food is more than what’s on our plate.
It’s about the farmers who rise before dawn, the land that nourishes us, and the choices we make that affect our shared future.
But beyond the slogans and hashtags, what does this day really mean — especially to us Filipinos?
What Is World Food Day?
World Food Day was first established in 1979 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. It commemorates the founding of the FAO itself back in 1945 — right after World War II, when food shortages and hunger were at their worst.
Since then, it’s become more than just a date on the calendar.
Every October 16, more than 150 countries mark the occasion through community feeding programs, educational campaigns, agricultural fairs, and awareness drives — all centered around one shared goal: ensuring that everyone, everywhere, has access to safe, nutritious food.
The theme for World Food Day changes each year. Some years focus on reducing waste, others on sustainable farming or climate action. But at its core, the message stays the same — that food is a human right, not a privilege.
Why World Food Day Matters
We often take our daily meals for granted. A plate of rice, a bowl of sinigang, or a simple tuyo breakfast — these might seem ordinary, but they represent the hard work of countless farmers, fishers, and food producers.
World Food Day reminds us that food doesn’t just appear on the table. It’s grown, harvested, transported, and traded by real people whose lives depend on the very same system they sustain.
Globally, over 2.4 billion people don’t have regular access to nutritious food. Meanwhile, millions of farmers struggle with poverty themselves — a painful irony, considering they’re the ones growing the world’s food supply.
The Significance of World Food Day to the Filipino Farmer
Here in the Philippines, World Food Day hits closer to home. Agriculture has always been the backbone of our nation — yet it’s also one of the most undervalued sectors.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, around one in four Filipino workers is employed in agriculture. They’re the ones planting rice in Nueva Ecija, growing corn in Bukidnon, harvesting coconuts in Quezon, and raising livestock in Mindanao.
Yet many of them still live below the poverty line, battling unpredictable weather, high input costs, and limited government support.
World Food Day gives us a moment to pause — to honor these farmers not just with words, but with awareness and action. They are our unsung heroes, the ones who feed a nation of over 110 million people.
When we talk about “food security,” we should also be talking about farmer security — ensuring that those who grow our food can continue to do so sustainably, profitably, and with dignity.
The Role of Filipino Farmers in the Global Movement
Filipino farmers play a meaningful role in the global World Food Day effort.
Across the country, local governments, schools, and agricultural cooperatives often organize mini-events in sync with the FAO’s global campaign. These include rice festivals, farm-to-table exhibits, and livelihood seminars showcasing sustainable farming practices.
More importantly, Filipino farmers embody resilience — a quality the world can learn from.
Despite typhoons, droughts, and economic challenges, they continue to innovate. Many are now shifting toward organic farming, urban gardening, and climate-smart agriculture, integrating traditional knowledge with modern methods.
The Philippines may not be the largest agricultural producer, but our farmers contribute something just as valuable: hope.
Hope that smallholder farmers — given the right tools, training, and access — can transform local food systems and feed future generations.
In the future, I hope that farmers become recognized as highly skilled individuals and are issued IDs from the PRC.
That would also mean that farmers should undergo proper training to augment their inherent skills (“or what people would call green thumbs”) to make them the absolute experts in their er… field of expertise.
By doing that, farmers would at least gain the same kind of professional footing as that of a let’s say… welder?
Anyway, that’s wishful thinking.
… oh if I just wasn’t so afraid of running for public office and being corrupted by politics…
Anyway, I hope in our small way, we can become an example to others and push that initiative and hopefully get farmers to become PRC ID holders in the future.
How Climate Change Is Changing the Game
We can’t talk about food without talking about climate. Around the world, changing weather patterns are altering what and how we grow.
In the Philippines, the effects are painfully visible.
Stronger typhoons, longer dry spells, and unpredictable rainfall have all taken their toll. Crops like rice and corn — staples of the Filipino diet — are particularly vulnerable to flooding and drought.
Coastal communities that rely on fishing also face dwindling catches due to warmer oceans and coral reef degradation.
As a fruit tree farmer, climate change has affected me by bringing about a late harvest which made us miss out on a lot of things like the Kadayawan festival. You see, in farming, timing is everything.
Missing out on such events can be devastating as we have to look for or come up with opportunities to sell our products instead of having one event readily available where the customer has their mind set on a particular fruit like durian or mangosteen for example.
This is where World Food Day’s message becomes urgent: we cannot achieve food security without tackling climate change.
Sustainable farming isn’t just an environmental issue anymore; it’s a survival issue. It’s about protecting our farmlands, supporting eco-friendly practices, and helping our farmers adapt through technology, crop diversification, and better irrigation systems.
How We Can Help
Celebrating World Food Day doesn’t mean you need to attend a fancy event or donate to a big organization. It can start right where you are:
- Buy local produce. Support your neighborhood or local farmer’s market.
- Avoid food waste. Plan your meals and store food properly — every bit counts.
- Grow something. Even a few herbs on your windowsill make a difference.
- Educate others. Share what you know about where your food comes from.
- Advocate for farmers. Use your voice — online or offline — to promote policies that uplift agricultural workers.
These small steps, when multiplied by millions of people, can shift entire systems. And that’s exactly what World Food Day is all about — creating collective impact through everyday actions.
Food, Culture, and Gratitude
For Filipinos, food isn’t just nourishment.
It’s memory, comfort, and connection.
We celebrate milestones with lechon, reunions with kare-kare, and even mourning with lugaw.
Our food tells stories — of struggle, survival, and shared identity.
So when we talk about World Food Day, we’re also talking about our culture and memories and things we should show gratitude — for the land that sustains us, the people who till it, and the meals that bring us together.
As climate challenges grow and global crises continue, let’s remember that every grain of rice, every slice of bread, and every cup of coffee is a gift from nature and from the hardworking hands of our farmers.
Final Thoughts
World Food Day isn’t just a global campaign — it’s a personal reminder. That every choice we make, from the food we buy to the way we treat our farmers, matters.
Because at the end of the day, food connects us all.
And if there’s one thing worth celebrating, protecting, and sharing — it’s that.
