This is the VOA Special English Development Report.
October sixteenth is World Food Day. This day is also the anniversary of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
The UN agency leads international efforts to defeat world hunger. It was created in 1945. The FAO says more than one hundred fifty countries are holding special events to observe World Food Day. At FAO headquarters in Rome, for example, runners competed in a five-kilometer-race through the city's historical area. Events in other countries include discussions among experts, press conferences and musical programs.
The message of this year's World Food Day is investing in Agriculture for food security. The FAO says foreign aid for agriculture has decreased during the past twenty years. During the early 1980s, the agency reports(/) nine thousand million dollars was provided each year. In the late 1990s foreign aid for agriculture had dropped to less than five thousand million dollars a year. Yet the Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that more than eight hundred fifty million people around the world do not get enough food.
The UN agency notes that most of the world's farmers grow small amounts of food. But many face problems feeding themselves. The FAO says agricultural aid could help small farmers make a profit from their crops. Farmers would also be able to feed their families throughout the year and reinvest in their farms. And they could buy better seeds, equipment and chemical fertilizers to help their crops grow.
Separately, the Nobel Peace Prize for 2006 has been awarded to economist Muhammad Yunus and his Bangladeshi microfinance organization, the Grameen Bank. The award recognizes their efforts to improve the lives of poor people. The Grameen Bank lends small amounts of money to poor people who are unable to get traditional loans, especially women. The money is used for simple projects that help women support themselves. Mr. Yunus says he plans to give his share of the one million three hundred thousand dollar Nobel award to good courses. He says he wants to establish an eye hospital and start a project to produce low-cost food for the poor.
And that's the VOA Special English Development Report written by Jill Moss. To read the text of this program and download audio go to
