TEHRAN –Every year on October 16, the World Food Day is observed globally. Since food is the third most basic human need after air and water, the day highlights everyone’s right to adequate food.

The event is observed under different themes each year. This year's theme, ‘Right to foods for a better life and a better future’, not only stresses the right to sufficient food but also highlights the right to an affordable, varied healthy diet for everyone.

Yet, over 2.8 billion people in the world are unable to afford a healthy diet, and too many people suffer from hunger.

Unhealthy diets are the leading cause of all forms of malnutrition – undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and obesity, which now exist in most countries, cutting across socio-economic classes. 

More vulnerable people are often forced to rely on staple foods or less expensive foods that can be unhealthy, while others suffer from the unavailability of fresh or diverse foods, lack the information they need to choose a healthy diet, or simply opt for convenience. 

Hunger and malnutrition are further exacerbated by protracted or prolonged crises that are driven by a combination of conflict, extreme weather events, and economic shocks. 

Agrifood systems, as a whole, are vulnerable to disasters and crises, particularly the impacts of climate change but at the same time, they are generating pollution, degrading soil, water, and air, and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity loss. 

By transforming agrifood systems, there is great potential to mitigate climate change and support peaceful, resilient, and inclusive livelihoods for all.