Uploaded by March Ferrere

Speech, Zero Hunger-Delfi

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Speech: Zero Hunger
We have a challenge, to reach Zero hunger by 20 30? It’s a real challenge. It’s
really audacious, but how do we get this done?
Ladies and gentlemen, I think this is a real important topic and I want to add my
voice to this humanitarian challenge. In our world of plenty, there are many
people dealing with obesity, while in another part of the planet there are 800
million people who are going hungry. In a world of such advances and such
consumption, these should be startling facts. Unfortunately the rise in hunger
continues but we have the resources to stop this scandal. And one of these
resources is technology. You will ask me: How can new technologies help end
world hunger?
By technology, we not only mean electronic technology. But food technology
and education technology
First of all, electronic technology is not only useful to use at work or to play
games at home. One would believe that applications are only useful to entertain
yourself, but there are some applications that can be used to help people from
the comfort of your home. Many people believe that they cannot do anything
to help people who are in faraway continents and who are suffering from hunger
and malnutrition, but there is one application called “the share the meal
application”, which was launched by WFP that means WORLD FOOD
PROGRAMME, in November 2018 that can support millions of children and
families in the most critical hunger hotspots. With just the tap of a button in
your mobile phone, anyone with a desire to help can share a meal. Since the
launch of this application, more than 3 million meals have been shared trough
WFP’s first mobile application to support Syrian refugees living in Jordan. This
application could also be used to support people in critical conditions, in all the
five continents. How does the Share The Meal app work? Share The Meal raises
funds to feed people and help build a world with zero hunger. Users can give
US$ 0.50 (or more) with a tap in our smartphone app, feeding one hungry child
for a day. We call this "to share the meal". The United Nations World Food
Programme receives the funds and provides the meals. In the app we show users
where their meals will go. The starting point for Share The Meal is that it is very
inexpensive to feed one child a day. We believe even more people would be
willing to help if there was a simple and straightforward way of doing so. This is
where the Share The Meal application comes in. Cash transfers or vouchers are
used to tackle hunger in situations where there is plenty of food in the
marketplace but where poor people cannot afford to buy it. For example in
Lebanon, Syrian refugee families receive electronic vouchers or “e-cards” that
can be exchanged for food of their choice in local shops. This boosts the local
economy and provides Syrians with access to fresh produce, dairy products,
poultry and meats. In emergencies, WFP often distributes food rations
containing staple foods such as rice, bulgur wheat, pasta, lentils, canned food,
sugar, salt, cooking oil and wheat flour. In more stable situations, WFP often
provides school meals. Children are provided with breakfast, lunch or both while
in school and may additionally receive take-home rations. For many of the
children, these are the only or most nutritious meals they will have in one day.
Second of all, technologies not only applies to electronic devices, but also to
food. So technology again can give us a hand. Nutrition science has developed
an incredible amount of foods that are easy to eat and at the same time they
are very nutritious. These technologies are applied to feed the millions of hungry
people who are in emergency situations. An excellent example of this is ‘Plumpy
Sup’ which is one type of ready to use food , typically used in extreme situations
and to prevent and treat moderate malnutrition for children under five years
old. It’s a tech innovation in nutrition science that infuses a peanut paste with a
long list of micronutrients that can be consumed from the comforts of one’s
home. Plumpy’Sup is packaged in one-day sachets, are ready to eat, and can be
consumed in small quantities to supplement one’s regular diet. In areas without
electricity or clean water, Ready to eat foods like Plumpy’Sup give hungry
families better options to fight hunger and malnutrition. Also the WFP has food
baskets suitable for the different emergencies. The size and composition of the
food basket is tailored to local preferences, demographic profile, activity levels,
climatic conditions, local coping capacity and existing levels of malnutrition and
disease. It is designed to meet the nutritional requirements of a population
rather than individuals.
Finally, technology can help us to educate people around the globe. Thanks to
digital education, farmers living in places can be reached and taught how they
can implement technologies to increase their production. This farmers can be
reached by the creation of an agricultural hotline and a digital soil information
system. The hotline, created in 2014 by Ethiopia’s Agricultural Transformation
Agency, has received nearly 6.5 million calls from local farmers. Through text
messages and automated calls, roughly 500,000 users receive updated
agronomic information to their cell phones to help plan their operations.
The same agency has plans to integrate this system with the Ethiopian Soil
Information System, a digital soil map “analysing the country’s soils down to a
resolution of ten kilometres by ten kilometres.” Have you ever searched
YouTube to find the right video to learn a new skill? Well, Digital Green is an
organization that connects local farmers via video training, conducted in local
languages. So via you tube, Digital Green explores topics that go from crop
rotation to good water managements. These videos help small farmers improve
their crop quality and boost agricultural production through better financial
training, tools and assistance. WFP then purchases these surplus crops to source
feeding programs in nearby communities, thus providing a stable market and
tackling local hunger at the same time.
So, we have all the resources. What is missing are the actions. So we need to
work together to put them in action now, so that we can achieve the challenge
of Zero Hunger for 2030. It depends on each and every of you. I dare you to start
right now. So get your mobile phones and download the application of “Share
the Meal” and start helping now. You can also help by demanding action from
the government. They could help with funds to provide Plumpy Sup wherever it
is necessary. Don’t put your arms down. If everybody cooperates, we will be able
to meet our objectives and we will all be able to live in symphony and to enjoy
the plenty that our planet offers us. Let’s take the challenge, let’s take it all
together right now!
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