There have been a number of local, national as well as international events dedicated to food this October. It is not a surprise: the harvests have been brought in although some are still ongoing. The fruits of hard human labour, together with the climate occurrences, whether beneficial or not, have been exposed and presented in front of us all.

Just to remind you, 16th October has been celebrated as World Food Day since its establishment in 1979.

This year, which still has two more months before it ends, has been challenging in relation to the food issue.

While enjoying the products from our farms, which we very much appreciate and respect, we cannot close our eyes to the really bad news affecting food production that has been circulating and that has certainly affected the food situation, globally.

It is a sad fact that, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, global hunger has risen for the first time in over a decade, affecting 815 million people or 11 per cent of the world population. This increase is largely the consequence of violent conflicts and climate-related shocks which are, at the same time, major drivers of distress migration. As if it is not enough just to remember the hurricanes, fires, floods, earthquakes…

The world is on the move. More people have been forced to flee their homes than at any time since the Second World War due to increased conflict and political instability. But hunger, poverty, and an increase in extreme weather events linked to climate change are other important factors contributing to the migration challenge.

My reflection to all this is that sometimes we need to expand in the way we think. Try to move away from our self-oriented battles and problems and look for a moment into the movements around us that are mentioned, which we are part of, whether we want it or not. It will probably help us understand that, living in these current circumstances, it is also our responsibility to make things better.