Water is food: Leave no one behind -Rwanda celebrates world food day

The 2023 theme for World Food Day, ‘Water is Life, Water is Food: Leave No One Behind,’ captures the significance of water as a source of sustenance, and its role in ensuring food security.

This annual day is celebrated worldwide on October 16, but Rwanda has decided to celebrate it on October 27, 2023 in Kayonza disrtict.

The annual World Food Day celebration was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, in collaboration with CNFA Hinga Wunguke, the United Nations based Agencies including FAO, IFAD, and World Food Programme (WFP).

The event was marked by a series of activities including visiting Buhabwa Valley dam, giving milk to children, giving eight cows to vulnerable families, and an exhibition of agricultural produce to showcase how best farming practices have improved yields.

This celebration is an opportunity to enhance coordination and guidance for various efforts made in agriculture investment especially food security investment.

The event was also an occasion to combating malnutrition and its effects and taking sustainable measures to increase productivity.

Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Dr Ildephonse Musafiri, said that the World Food Day is a chance to celebrate the achievements in increasing productivity and combating malnutrition and its effects and taking sustainable measures to increase productivity.

“Today’s theme calls for us to reconsider and take into account the importance of water, and today is a good opportunity to sensitize Rwandans on how to take care of the natural resource of water.” said Minister Musafiri.

The minister also took the opportunity to urge all Rwandans in general, and Kayonza residents in particular, to sustain agricultural infrastructure facilities such as valley dams, radical terraces, irrigation and post-harvest facilities that have been provided by the government.

“Nurturing the young generation is key to a brighter future. Let’s all stand together for a world with healthy, accessible food for everyone.”Coumba D. Sow the FAO Rwanda representative.

Ozonnia Ojielo, the UN Resident Coordinator in Rwanda also called for increased investment in integrated water resources management infrastructure, which would lead to resilience of the agricultural sector.

“Together, we can make progress on Zero hunger, Leaving no One Behind.” emphasized Ozzonnia Ojielo.

Water resources occupy 6.2% of Rwanda’s area. Rwanda has about 7 billion cubic meters (CBM) of annual surface water, 5 bn CBM ground water, and gets 27.5 bn CBM rain.

2.4 billion people face limited water supply, and FAO says that “global water demand for agriculture is expected to increase by 35% up to 2050.”