World Food Day is marked every year on 16 October, and this year's theme is 'Food Prices: from crisis to stability'.
It is always the poorest people in the world who are the hardest hit by rising prices for basic commodities. According to the World Bank, in 2010-2011 rising food costs pushed nearly 70 million people into extreme poverty.
The UN's Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO), who are behind World Food Day, want to use the day to explore how what causes food price swings and how we can reduce their impact on the poorest members of society. They have produced a useful Information Note for World Food Day 2011 (PDF) which explains the issues in more detail (see also video clip below).
Here are some additional links for teaching resources around issues of food and food prices:
In addition, the FAO have produced the following informative short film. (If YouTube is not allowed in your school, visit www.safeshare.tv/w/AsdCuESquO to watch it on SafeShare.)
| British Red Cross | Food and hunger briefing - explores hunger, food insecurity, and what can be done to alleviate these. Food in Africa - photo and video-based lesson plan for 11-16 year-olds |
| CAFOD | Picture my world food pictures - CAFOD's website for primary children has food photos from Cambodia, Rwanda and Brazil Food - a range of primary resources around these issues |
| Christian Aid | World Food Day - Food for Thought - Secondary Assembly World Food Day - Vital Vegetables - Primary Assembly |
| Oxfam | World Food Day - A range of curriculum-linked resources exploring the global food crisis for upper primary and secondary (KS 2, 3 and 4) GROW Campaign - primary and secondary teaching resources linked to Oxfam's campaign to create a fairer food system |
