We are living in exceptional times. The global community has faced a turbulent and unusual year on many fronts, with the ongoing widespread effects of the COVID-19 pandemic taking their toll on health and global food security.

World Food Day, commemorating the founding of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, is celebrated every year on the 16 October. The accompanying events promote awareness of and action for those suffering from hunger, and highlight the need for healthy diets for all.

Find out more here: http://www.fao.org/world-food-day

Over 2 billion people do not have sufficient access to safe, nutritious food; while approximately 14 percent of food produced for human consumption is lost before it even reaches the wholesale market, never mind the consumer plate.

Combining open data advocacy and consultancy with innovative products and solutions, GODAN and our partners are looking to improve food security for generations to come, helping ensure zero hunger and improve the lives and livelihoods of farming communities across the globe. GODAN's activities have contributed to significantly increased yields and incomes for smallholder farmers (by up to 43 percent in seven selected DFID target countries accross Africa and Asia); with a measurable increase in yield, income and food security for smallholder farmers of up to 35 percent.

This year, World Food Day is organised around the theme: Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together. This timely topic serves to underline the part that we all play in fostering and maintaining sustainable food ecosystems, and calls for us all to be more aware of our roles within them.

There is much we can do, whether we are:

• Consumers,
• Governments, or
• Private Sector Business.