"Water is life. Water is food." Kyrgyz Republic will celebrate the World Food Day with several events

October 16, 2023

Bishkek – Kyrgyz Republic is celebrating the World Food Day 2023, one of the most popular international days in the UN calendar, which is held in more than 50 languages and in more than 150 countries. The date is intended to draw public attention to issues of food security and nutrition, as well as the transition to more sustainable, inclusive and resilient to external influences agri-food systems.

To celebrate the World Food Day in the Kyrgyz Republic, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Kyrgyz Republic, together with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), is organising an art exhibition and an agricultural fair-exhibition.

World Food Day is celebrated annually on October 16 and coincides with the founding day of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which was established in 1945. This year, the theme is "Water is life. Water is food. Leave no one behind" to once again draw attention to the important role of water for human health and the environment, as well as for food production.

According to FAO, currently 2.4 billion people live in countries experiencing water scarcity. There are many small farmers among them, including women. About 600 million people, whose lives depend at least partially on systems for the production of food products from water resources, suffer from the effects of pollution, ecosystem degradation, unsustainable practices and climate change.



"We all need to stop taking water for granted and start improving the ways it is used in everyday life," said Kuvatbek Bapayev, International Technical Adviser at the FAO Representative Office in Kyrgyzstan. "FAO calls for action on water during the World Food Day and all other days. We must learn to produce more food, fiber, animal feed and biofuels with less water, ensuring equitable water allocation, protecting our water systems for food production and respecting the principle that "no one should be left behind.””

 

The principle of "Leave no one behind" implies simultaneous work in many areas.

“In the face of unprecedented challenges, we must tackle the root causes of food insecurity while amplifying the voices of smallholder farmers and rural communities to shield them from the impact of the climate crisis”, stated Kojiro Nakai, Representative and Country Director of the UN WFP in the Kyrgyz Republic. “WFP remains unwavering in our commitment to empowering smallholder farmers, strengthening food systems, and ensuring equitable access to nutritious diets. Through asset creation projects focusing on irrigation systems and water pipes, we strive to bring food and water back to vulnerable communities, and our skills development projects serve as engines of job creation and income-generation.”

UN agencies, together with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Kyrgyz Republic, have joined forces to hold several awareness-raising events in the country dedicated to World Food Day, designed to promote dialogue and discussions on the importance of rational water use among relevant stakeholders, including youth, farmers, small producers, representatives of public organizations, politicians, agricultural investors and scientists.

On 17 October, an art exhibition " The path to the universe begins from the village" at the Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts named after Gapar Aitiyev will open its doors to the public. Paintings and sculptures from the museum's collection on agricultural topics will be presented at the exhibition.

The exhibition will demonstrate works of art as an important historical source, showing the development of agriculture sector in Kyrgyzstan, and will invite the public to ponder on the importance of managing water for future prosperity.

"Today, the Ministry is building a policy in the field of planning and regulating water use on the basis of scientific knowledge and objective data, innovation and intersectoral coordination, developing and implementing new technologies," said Askarbek Janybekov, Minister of Agriculture of the Kyrgyz Republic. “Together with other measures, this activity is designed to encourage farmers and the private sector to participate in the implementation of integrated solutions aimed at optimising water use and preserving Kyrgyzstan's water resources and for this purpose, state banks issue farmers a loan at 6% for leasing drip irrigation equipment and sprinkler system. A significant increase in the funds allocated from the republican budget for the maintenance of the irrigation fund will solve problems with the poor condition of irrigation channels. Major repairs of pumping stations, reservoirs, concreting and cleaning of siltation of inter-farm channels continue to this day. The work carried out will reduce water losses and increase the efficiency of inter-farm channels, which, in turn, will increase the volume of water for irrigation."

On October 20, the "old" square of the capital will host the already traditional exhibition-fair "Agrotechexpo-2023" and “Organic expo 2023”. The event is designed not only to support farmers, but also to expand the horizons of agricultural production in order to ensure sustainable agriculture, food security and nutrition. In addition, during the fair, residents and guests of the capital will have the opportunity to see and purchase organic products of farmers.

World Food Day is also an occasion to reflect on what has been done and what remains to be done to solve the global problem of ridding humanity of hunger, malnutrition and poverty. By increasing the production of food and other important agricultural products, we must reduce water consumption, ensure equitable distribution of water resources and preserve aquatic food systems, while ensuring compliance with the principle "Leave no one behind."

Together we can make a difference!