Addressing World Hunger: Where are the gaps?

My last Editor’s note attracted an amazing reaction which is carried as Guest Editorial in this issue. Please take time to read and digest it. I wish to thank Dr Ken Marsh a long-time friend as well as Prof Charles Aworth who is the immediate past President of IAFoST (International Academy of Food Science and Technology), for taking time to highlight areas of the agricultural value chain that have not received enough attention or resources all these years. Clearly it is time for us to start shifting the focus from production to both waste and loss. September for me has always been a unique month. Well, according to medical records that my mom kept, I was born in this month, specifically on September 9th. You can imagine how excited I was on 9/9/1999. Secondly, whenever we get to this month, my mind points to end of the year, but at the same time I look back and ask myself: what have I achieved this year? And then I ask myself again whether I should celebrate my birthday or not. And usually, my calendar is full of things to do. All the same, it is a good time of the year because I get to reconnect with a lot of friends and colleagues, and family, who get to learn that I am still alive and kicking. This year was unique, though, because family illness made me miss 3 international events I ordinarily would have attended. I normally refer to these as unavoidable distractions, which force us to put all previous plans aside. Without good health, there is nothing else we can do. And this does happen sometimes in our lives and many times, to some people. I got a surprise invitation to join the newly inaugurated World Agriculture Forum Council, which will serve as an Apex body to address the ever-nagging issues of hunger and malnutrition. Just when I thought I was getting done, I realized there are many others even older than myself that still feel compelled to continue working on world hunger. When I see the number of meetings that come up around this time, I am consoled by the fact that there are many more people concerned, and that I am not alone. But then very quickly, I realize that we are not making much headway. The world we live in is complex. Each time we come up with lofty ideas on how we are going to address World Hunger, some other crisis comes up and distracts us. I have seen tsunamis and earthquakes come and go, we have seen killer floods and hurricanes, we have seen droughts and fires, we have seen wars and perennial conflicts. We have seen pandemics and they continue to afflict us. It is so interesting how we work in silos, and also go on doing the same thing over and over again. Because in all these situations, food is required and nutrition is essential. All these issues are interrelated. One thing that puts a smile on my face is to see our work through this journal reach more people, and to receive submissions from all over the globe. Everybody wants to eat and needs to eat. Those for whom food is not assured suffer a lot. And those who take food for granted tend to waste plenty. Those who have the means need to start planning now to make sure we are ready to help the most vulnerable amongst us as the year comes to an end. We must do everything possible to ensure we stay on course as far as addressing world hunger at whatever level we can, whether globally, regionally or locally. The issues raised in the Guest Editorial are focused on postharvest and food processing, using appropriate technologies that can work in a rural setting in Africa. We needed to have shifted our thinking a long time ago. This is where resources need to go, and capacity building to be realized. What is needed? What works? And let us put money and action to the talk. We wish you great reading.