17 October 2016, Beijing - In celebration of the 36th World Food Day (WFD), FAO Representation in China joined hands with State Administration of Grain, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science and Technology, China Meteorological Administration and All-China Women's Federation to launch the National Love Grain Save Grain Week Campaign in Nanjing on 16 October, 2016.

 “The theme for this year’s WFD is climate is changing, Food and agriculture must too. It has been chosen in a bid to draw global attention to the impacts of climate change on food and nutrition security, and also to call on enhanced actions to better adapt and mitigate climate change risks and threats in agriculture sectors,” said Vincent Martin, FAO Representative in China and DPR Korea, during his participation in the launch ceremony.

The resounding message from this year's WFD is to achieve the sustainable development goals set by the international community. In China, FAO also teams up with its national partners on promoting WFD by organizing the National Love Grain Save Grain Week Campaign. The slogan of this year’s campaign is “Actively respond to climate change, and promote food loss reduction and efficiency improvement.”

On the occasion Vincent Martin recalled that global food loss and waste generate annually about 8% of total anthropogenic GHG emission. He said, “I would like to encourage you all to cherish and carry forward the sprit we are observing today and to live every day as a Food Day and every week as a Week of “Love Food and Save Food”.

On the same day, the High-level Expert Consultation on Sustainable Grain Industry Development took place in Nanjing University of Finance & Economics. In his address, Vincent Martin stressed that to feed a growing global population in a changing climate, the world must transition to more productive, resilient and sustainable forms of agricultural production.

 “FAO, as a specialized agency on food security and nutrition within the UN system, promotes sustainable agriculture development, increase food security and improve nutrition and has been leading international efforts in promoting these innovative approaches in our member countries,” he added.

FAO has been intensifying cooperation with national partners in China and stands ready to work closely with them in the noble fight to end hunger, achieve food and nutrition security globally, as well as promote climate-smart and sustainable agriculture by 2030.