By the numbers: World Food Day

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‍World Food Day is celebrated each year on October 16, to remember the creation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) in 1945. The theme for this year's World Food Day is "Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development."

Migration

Migrants often leave their homes because of poverty, hunger and food insecurity. Many migrants end up in locations that don't have the resources to feed them. Rural communities can also suffer from the loss of young workers who migrate, often meaning that less food is produced or available.

Food insecurity

The issue of food security is most notable in areas troubled by conflicts, compounded by droughts, floods, and climate–related shocks. The number of people undernourished in the world has been on the rise since 2014, reaching an estimated 815 million in 2016. That's about one in nine people.

World Food Day and China

China was a pioneer in combating hunger and food insecurity well beyond its borders. The grain production of China has been on steady rise in recent years, serving undernourished communities within and outside of the country.

China has achieved the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (Target 1.C) – reducing by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger between 1990 and 2015. China alone accounts for almost two thirds of the total reduction in the number of undernourished people in the developing regions since 1990.