For Environment, Democracy and Livelihoods
This year, the 43rd World Food Day was celebrated worldwide with the slogan “Water is life, Water is food”. ForestAction Nepal, the secretariat of the Alliance of Agriculture for Food, in collaboration with Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU), the Department of Agriculture, Jilla Prangrarik Sangh, Chitwan, Better Chitwan, Chitwan Kacheheri, and student organizations from AFU and Rampur Agriculture Campus, organized a series of events on October 6, 7, and 8, 2023, to mark this event in Chitwan, Nepal.
The celebration kicked off with a press release to highlight the significance of the event and inform the stakeholders about it. On the following day, a rally was organized, where the participants marched from Pulchwok, Narayanghat, to Chaubiskoti. The rally was attended by farmers, agricultural students, agricultural activists, journalists, and healthcare personnel. The aim of this public event was to raise awareness among the public regarding the problems and challenges faced by farmers, the importance of sustainable farming practices, and the need for a resilient food system. On the same day, a drama entitled Sattapatta was showcased in the auditorium hall of the university in the presence of more than 200 audiences. Sattapatta is the story about the farming, and it gives the audience a message about the impact of the modern farming system that promotes the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides on our indigenous and traditional knowledge, technologies, soil, seed, and including human health.
On the third day, a seminar titled “Debate on the Issues of Food and Agriculture” was organized, consisting of four sessions, including the opening and thematic sessions. Policymakers, stakeholders, thematic experts, students, journalists, and farmers were all present at the seminar. Following the seminar, “raithane khadhya sanjh” (a food festival) was organized to celebrate the diversity and richness of our local cuisine, featuring a variety of delicious dishes from the Tharu community.