By Olaolu Fawole
16th of October every year is set aside to commemorate World Food Day. It is an International day marking the creation of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in 1945, with a view to ending hunger and food security .
The theme “Water is Life, Water is Food. Leave No One Behind” for 2023 World Food Day showcases the importance of water in food production and, also, in ensuring the well-being of children. It is worthy to note that growing nutritious crops and raising healthy livestock, require clean water, while access to safe drinking water is equally important for children’s health and growth.
Water is essential to life and it makes up over 50% of our bodies and covers about 71% of the Earth’s surface while agriculture accounts for 72% of global freshwater withdrawals and water is a driving force for people, economies and nature and the foundation of our food.
Certainly, nutritious food is related to the well-being of children and adequate water resources are essential for agriculture, therefore water is necessary for irrigation, which helps farmers grow a variety of crops, including fruits, vegetables, and grains. These crops will promote growth and development of children. Parents should also know that shortage of clean water can lead to malnutrition as waterborne diseases can compromise children’s abilities to absorb nutrients from the food they consume, they must therefore ensure safe water sources for children.
In food processing and preparation, safe water is essential, and it is duty of parents and guardians that the food children consume is free from contaminants and safe for their health.
Also, access to safe drinking water is fundamental to maintaining children’s overall health, therefore, staying properly hydrated is necessary for their well-being and can help prevent seizures, urinary tract infections, kidney stones and even kidney failure, which are some dehydration-related illnesses.
Provision of clean water sources and adhere to proper sanitation and hygiene practices, can significantly reduce cases of waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea, dysentery, typhoid fever, shigellosis, cholera, human enteritis, and cryptosporidiosis among children who are vulnerable to the diseases.
We should also note that children must have a consistent supply of clean water for their daily needs and agriculture, which contributes to long-term food security, therefore, we should manage water resources. In addition, access to adequate water for agriculture can reduce the need for child labour in many parts of the world. Agriculture has the highest number of child labourers globally and when there are functional water sources for irrigation, this can check child labour and children can attend schools regularly to achieve their dreams.
There should be more educative and enlightenment programmes for children on sustainable water management and agricultural practices.
The theme for the 2023 World Food Day points out the need for collective responsibilities in providing clean water, nutritious food, and education to children, and highlights the importance of sustainability and equity in managing water resources to ensure that no child is left behind in their access to these fundamental necessities.
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