World Food Day is observed every year on 16 October in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945. It is a day of action against hunger. First established in 1979, World Food Day has since then been observed in almost every country by millions of people.

The theme for World Food Day 2015 is “Social Protection and Agriculture: breaking the cycle of rural poverty”.

The theme for 2015 seeks to highlight the importance of social protection in ending food poverty, including greater access to education and healthcare, cash grants and free school meals.

Did You Know?

• In recent years, around 150 million people have overcome extreme poverty because of social protection programmes.
• India is home to 194.6 million undernourished people, the highest in the world, according to the annual report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
• Around the world, 795 million people — or around one in nine — are undernourished.
• 58% of children stunted by 2 years of age.
• 24% of under-five deaths in India and 3,000 children in India die every day from poor diet related illness.

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