HPC marks World Food Day with calls for more affordable food items

AMMAN — Marking World Food Day, annually observed on October 16, the Higher Population Council (HPC) has called for government policies to enhance the production of affordable food items.

The HPC urged for the utilisation of local food production capabilities, improvements in the productivity and the quality of food, and the achievement of food security in the Kingdom by 2030.

World Food Day, an initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), is celebrated to inform people about the importance of eating healthy and getting proper nutrition.

Ayah Al Masa’deh’s family started a sustainable gardening project with the motive that “one small action can contribute to changing the world and making it a better place for future generations”, she told The Jordan Times on Saturday. 

 “We only use organic growing methods, we do not add chemicals and we use compost for our fertiliser,” she said.

Masa’deh said that sustainability “is not a one-time practice, it’s a lifestyle”. Also, they said, food produced in a sustainable garden “is rich in terms of both nutrients and taste”. 

Sustainable food production remains critical given the food security challenges amid the pandemic. 

 “The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all pillars of food security, availability, accessibility, utilisation and stability. Access to food has been particularly affected by the loss of income and livelihoods, in addition to the increased food prices,” Abla Amawi, HPC secretary general, said in a council statement.

According to the FAO, over 40 per cent of the world’s population cannot afford a healthy diet.

Amawi said that the pandemic is expected to add between 83 million and 132 million people to the undernourished category. 

Millions of people, especially women, have fallen into extreme poverty as a result of the pandemic, she said.

“Globally, 20 per cent more women than men aged 25-34 live in extreme poverty,” according to the FAO website. 

According to the HPC, Jordanian women play a key role in promoting food security, but Jordanian women’s economic participation remains low and does not exceed 5.6 per cent in the agricultural sector.

The HPC also noted that many women who work in the agricultural sector are in the informal labour market. 

“Women in Jordan have limited ownership of agricultural holdings, which does not exceed 6 per cent of the total agricultural holdings in the Kingdom,” according to the HPC.   

The HPC statement said that food security is a focus of the 2030 Sustainable Development Plan, mainly goal two on “zero hunger”, which the Kingdom seeks to realise by 2030.

“Jordan has a responsibility to provide food for about 31 per cent of non-Jordanians who live in Jordan, which puts more pressure on food security,” the HPC said.

The HPC statement added that the Kingdom imports more than 57 per cent of its food items.

The statement also said that 15.7 per cent of the Kingdom’s some 11 million population lives under the poverty line and almost 8.5 per cent of the population suffers from malnutrition.