Minister Gérardine Mukeshimana (left) joined other WFD event participants in planting beans as part of the Day’s commemoration in Rwanda. ©FAO/Teopista Mutesi

On 26 October 2017, Rwanda celebrated the World Food Day event usually celebrated on the October 16 globally. The guest of honour was the country’s minister of agriculture and animal resources, Dr Gérardine Mukeshimana.

Minister Mukeshimana encouraged industrialists to get involved in the process that will see increase in agricultural output to create rural employment opportunities.

“Industrialists should play a critical role in increasing agricultural production by signing contracts with farmers to supply them the produce,” she said.

The event was also attended by the heads of the three Rome-based UN agencies; UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UN World Food Programme (WFP) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) supporting countries towards a hunger free generation.

The WFP Rwanda representative and country director, Jean-Pierre de Margerie, told the gathering that WFD 2017 is an opportunity to further advocacy in action for investing more in agriculture and other relevant sectors in food security such as, Nutrition, public health, social protection and gender.

“Achieving SDGs to end hunger and extreme poverty by 2030 will depend crucially on developing rural areas where over 70 percent of the population lives in Rwanda. More resources need to be allocated for investment in rural areas not because most poor people live but because they have great potential for economic development,” he said quoting FAO’s SOFI 2017 report.

According to the state of food security and nutrition in the world (SOFI) report 2017, the number of undernourished people on the planet has increased to 815 million, up from 777 million in 2015.

The report shows that across all region rural based economic activity can be as effective for rural poverty reduction as that of urban areas.

The 2017 World Food Day event was commemorated under the national theme: “Investing in food security and rural development”.

The event was marked by planting beans on the hillside terraces in Rubengera Sector, Karongi District, different organizations exhibited their activities in Rwanda towards zero hunger while farmers showcased their farm productivity. Children were given milk and fed on nutritious food and 18 cows are given to poor households under the Once cow per poor household (GIRINKA) programme.