World Food Day 2014 is about the Family Farm

Oct 16, 2014

Family Farming: Feeding the World, Caring for the Earth

Farms.com October 16, 2014 is World Food Day and the theme for this year is to remember and appreciate the family farm. While farmers in North America may be experiencing a number of challenges in 2014, farmers in the US and Canada live in very different circumstances compared to their counterparts in other parts of the world. World Food Day is celebrated throughout the world and is a reminder that we all need to work towards ensuring food security for all of the people on the planet.

The theme “Family Farming: Feeding the World, Caring for the Earth” is meant to support more than 500 million farm families by encouraging environmental and sustainable development. Many of these groups have limited access to resources that could have a direct and valuable impact on development, the goal of World Food Day and its theme is to ensure governments are aware of their situation and the potential in these family farms to end world hunger.

It is estimated that about 70 percent of individuals who are family farmers suffer from malnutrition, hunger or live with no food security. Many of these farmers do not having enough crop yields to feed and maintain themselves or their families. The theme means to bring about real change for these individuals, to bring awareness to their struggle, and to advocate on their behalf.

The ultimate goal for World Food Day is to achieve food security for all individuals and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have outlined three ways to accomplish this.

Eliminate food insecurity, hunger and malnutrition
Eradicate the cycle of poverty and move forward through social and economic progress
Ensure farmers use their resources in a sustainable, effective and environmentally safe manner

The purpose of World Food Day on October 16, 2014 is to remind ourselves and the world that family farms are vital to providing healthy nutritious food and ending the cycle of poverty and hunger. Be sure to use social media to remind others of this important day, and encourage discussion about the continued importance of farming in the 21st century.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.