Our food waste would be enough to feed all the hungry: Pope Francis to IFAD

In a message to the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the Holy Father Pope Francis warns of the dangers of food waste, highlighting that it damages the climate, whilst it could have been used to feed the world’s hungry. He sent this message on Wednesday February 14, to participants in the 47th session of the Governing Council of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

The Pope expressed his gratitude for the commitment, time, and energy devoted to “striving for a better world where no one’s dignity is violated and where fraternity becomes a reality, a source of joy and hope for all”, while also noting noted that our world today faces a heartbreaking dichotomy related to food.

“On the one hand, millions of people are plagued by hunger, while on the other hand, great insensitivity is seen in the waste of food,” the pontiff said.

This food waste, he noted, produces masses of greenhouse gases each year, while proper rationing would be enough to feed all the hungry.

“We are pushing the world to dangerous limits,” the Pope warned, describing the change in the climate, the plundering of resources, and the countless conflicts threatening the livelihood of millions of people. He noted that in the face of crises, whatever they may be, it is always rural communities that suffer first.”

He continued, “Indigenous peoples are also victims of hardship, deprivation and abuse”, stressing that “their knowledge of natural resource management and their connection to the environment can help conserve biodiversity.”

The Holy Father also spoke of another neglected group of people: women, whom he said are the mainstay of more than half of the food insecure households in rural settlements, where many young people lack training, resources, and opportunities.

“This reality moves us to confront existing problems, in particular hunger and poverty, not by settling for abstract strategies or unattainable commitments, but by cultivating the hope that springs from collective action,” he said, before inviting all those present to “work together to build a more inclusive agricultural and food system.”

Finally, Pope Francis prayed that a spirit of loyal cooperation and service may guide IFAD’s “deliberations so that the causes of exclusion, poverty, and mismanagement of resources, as well as the effects of climate crises, can be eliminated.”