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Contributing to Zero Hunger through the alignment and joint implementation of national resources
Large progress has been made on reducing the number of undernourished people by half in the past two decades. However, extreme hunger and malnutrition still remain a large issue for many countries. World Food Day is celebrated every year around the world on 16 October to raise worldwide awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and for the need to ensure healthy diets for all. The World Food Day 2019 - High Level Event is organised by the European Commission as part of EU research and innovation policy FOOD 2030. The event will take place in Brussels on the 16th of October 2019, and it will include interactive sessions that will allow for networking opportunities and discussions on the cross-sectoral role of nutrition with a focus on obesity at local, national, EU and global level.
The UN’s 2nd Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) is to ambition Zero Hunger. A systems change in the global food and agriculture system is needed, and investments in agricultural research are key to increase the capacity for agricultural productivity and sustainable food production. The Joint Programming Initiative on Agriculture, Food Security & Climate Change (FACCE-JPI) supports strongly the progress made towards the achievement of Zero Hunger with actions and tools for effective integration, alignment and joint implementation of national resources. For example, some of the tools focus on aligning already funded national research projects (e.g. knowledge hubs) while other tools foster cooperation and communication between funders, policy makers and researchers (e.g. knowledge networks, and exploratory and valorisation workshops). More specifically, two actions contribute directly to the targets of Zero Hunger by focusing on nutrition security through a systems thinking approach, and on improving policy interventions to ensure food and nutrition security. Other relevant actions aim on improving agricultural productivity through soil management practices, sustainable intensification, precision agriculture, improved crop quality and yields, scenario studies, as well as by combating water shortages and pollution.
You can find more information about FACCE-JPI and its instruments here.