On October 16, World Food Day was commemorated. With the Zero Hunger challenge, the UN set the goal that by 2030 hunger must be eradicated worldwide, and strategies were also outlined to achieve it. World Food Day commemorates, in part, the state of food security around the globe.
Worldwide, one in nine people does not have access to a diet that allows them to lead a healthy and active life, and one in four children suffers from stunted growth. The impacts of these situations have been evaluated in various ways, including their relationship to economic productivity and the ability of adults to generate resources. Each year, the FAO dedicates World Food Day to a central theme to help understand why populations continue to suffer from food insecurity. This year’s theme is “Changing the Future of Migration. Investing in Food Security and Rural Development.”
One of the major changes in the second half of the twentieth century is the excessive increase in internal migration from rural areas to cities. The abandonment of the countryside led to population concentration in large cities, the emergence of belts of poverty, uncontrolled and unorganized urban growth, and many other problems of large urban centers. On the other hand, the political and economic situation in many countries forces their inhabitants to undertake international migrations in search of better opportunities, or even to flee as refugees from totalitarian political regimes. Historically, migrations have occurred for a long time, and it is partly because of this that national cuisines have been shaped by the ingredients, techniques, and culinary flavors that circulate with people.
Migrants out of necessity find themselves in situations that compromise their nutrition, so they cannot ensure that each day they will have food that meets various needs (biological, cultural, economic). For this reason, migrating populations receive special attention from the FAO. The abandonment of rural areas undoubtedly causes changes in food production and access, and migrations should be voluntary, not driven by necessity.
Far-right international political discourse considers migrants as a plague rather than populations that contribute economically, socially, and culturally to receiving countries. We know that a large part of the economy of first world powers is driven by the labor force of the most disadvantaged migrant populations, who face greater discrimination and lower quality of life. Everyone talks about great chefs, but it is time to consider the exploitation and inhumane working conditions of migrant cooks. It is also time to remember that first world cuisines are enriched and economically benefited by migrants. Food security for populations must go beyond considering that food should meet biological needs. Nutrition must also address those cultural needs that refer to the context from which people left in search of a better life for themselves and their descendants. Decentralizing countries and supporting rural areas would offer better conditions where migration would be a matter of choice.
Originally published in El Economista
— This article was originally published in Spanish by Liliana Martínez Lomelí. Translation generated with AI from the original text.