CELEBRATING WORLD FOOD DAY IN ARMENIA 2016 World Food Day is about Zero Hunger—a Global Goal for the world to achieve together. We have 15 years to end hunger for every child, woman, and man around the world. Reaching it will save countless lives and build brighter futures for us all. This year , for the first time in Armenia, WFP joined FAO in celebrating World Food Day 2016. For over seventy years, the UN has celebrated World Food Day globally as a means of bringing awareness to issues of hunger and malnutrition. Even after moderate economic growth in the last decade, nearly one in three of Armenia’s population remains below the poverty line, while at least 15 percent of all households are food insecure. Celebrating World Food Day remains highly rele- vant in Armenia and all over the world as WFP—and the UN at large—continue to strive toward the zero hunger goal. “A day that brings us together” Pascale Micheau, Country Director for WFP in Armenia, addressed children, parents, and community members at the Tsiatsan School in Armavir on the importance of intercon- nectivity as it relates to the school feeding programme: “…School feeding is a platform that brings people together. It has multiple facets… One of these facets is to bring good food into schools to WFP Country Director Pascale Micheau and create nutritious meals. This is how education and FAO Assistant Representative Gayane Nasoyan nutrition come together. If children learn on an empty present the winner of the drawing competition stomach, they cannot concentrate, and this hinders the de- at Haytagh Community School. velopment of the country in the long-run. Another facet is: if you want good, nutritious meals, you need to grow good food. The School Gardens Initiative is one way that WFP partners with FAO as everything starts within the school itself. If you have a school garden, you can supplement meals with fresh fruit and vegetables, which are rich in vitamins and minerals. But we need to go even beyond school gardens and look at the opportunity to enhance agricultur- al production around us, especially among small farmers. If we do this, this will boost local econ- omies for both rural areas and cities. This is where the Home-Grown School Meals approach comes in. Home-Grown School Meals is about linking school meals programmes with local agri- cultural production; it is beneficial for farmers and schools alike.” It is our responsibility to lead the generation of zero hunger and do our part! World Food Day The Year of Pulses At A Glance: The year 2016 was declared as year of pulses, highlighting their agricul- The Schedule of tural and nutritional versatility. WFP and FAO attended and orchestrat- Events ed a number of events to bring awareness to the importance of pulses and broader food-related concerns for Armenia. First, WFP and FAO visited two Armavir marz schools where WFP has implemented the th Oct 12 : Tsiatsan school meals programme. Providing nutritious school meals is an effec- School tive solution to combat childhood malnutrition, serves as an incentive to After a warm welcome from the keep children in school, and has proven to be a sound investment with students, WFP, FAO and stu- significant economic returns. According to a recent cost benefit analysis dents convened in the auditori- um. WFP and FAO presented carried out by WFP and MasterCard, for every one USD invested in a on the importance of pulses and child under the school feeding programme in Armenia today, there is a local agriculture. This was fol- seven USD in return in prevented nutrition and health costs over the lowed by a drawing competi- span of child’s lifetime. Next, WFP and FAO attended an orchard tion, and a cooking competition where students were organized picking demonstration in Etchmiatsin, alongside agriculture stu- into teams of three. Each team dents and His Excellency the Minister of Agriculture. The event demon- presented a dish that incorpo- strated the great potential that Armenia has for local agricultural pro- rated pulses in some way. The competition was designed to duction, which could be applied to local agricultural development. The give students the opportunity following week, WFP advocated for the Home-Grown School to express their artistic skills in Meals initiative with a forum of local farmers and producers at the a way that furthered the conver- sation on the importance of ArmProdExpo, which could link local agribusiness with the school meals good nutrition and agriculture. programme. th Oct 13 : Haytagh School UN representatives were greet- ed by the students with a sketch about lavash, a traditional Armenian bread. WFP and FAO then presented on pulses, which was followed by a drawing com- petition and a tree planting cer- Students at Tsiatsan School await the Students at Haytagh School planting emony for 15 apricot and 15 results of the cooking competition. apricot and peach trees. peach trees. The fruits from these trees will serve to supple- ment school meals as part of Why pulses? the School Gardens initiative. Pulses are not only an agriculturally sustainable option (many varie- Oct 14th: Orchard ties of pulses are native to Armenia and are water-efficient crops), but Demonstration they also offer an effective solution to some of Armenia’s foremost nu- tritional concerns. Pulses are rich in iron, protein, they are gluten free WFP and FAO joined His and are a healthy carbohydrate source. Incorporating them into school Excellency the Minister of Agriculture and students of the meals helps combat Armenia’s “triple burden” of malnutrition: Armenian Agrarian University stunting, overweight or obesity, and micronutrient deficiency. to collect grapes and apricots at the Scientific Center in Etchmiatsin. The event brought Left: Grape leaf and cabbage dolma, stuffed with a mixture to light the importance of nutri- of pulses and spices. Students tion education. incorporated pulses into tradi- tional Armenian dishes. Right: A beet and pulses salad. Oct 21st -23rd: Home-Grown School Meals ArmProdExpo (HGSM) Providing meals for primary school children is an important step to- ward improving the health and education standards of the country, but it is not enough. That is why WFP strongly supports Home- Grown School Meals, a policy that fosters procuring local food for the school meals programme. Sourcing food locally has multiple benefits, from health to environ- mental to economic. Here are some of the objectives of the Home- Grown School Meals model in Armenia. Armenia’s Prime Minister His Excel- lency Karen Karapetyan and WFP’s Tackling nutrition and health issues more efficiently. Country Director Pascale Micheau Recurrent stunting, overweight or obesity and persisting micronutri- shake hands at the ArmProdExpo. ent deficiencies (especially in nutrients like iron) are serious concern in Armenia. When food is sourced locally, schools can enrich the WFP held a booth at the annual school meals food basket with dairy, fresh fruits and vegetables, and ArmProdExpo, a gathering of other foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals. local Armenian farmers and food industry businesses. The Encouraging structured local agricultural production and aim of WFP’s attendance at the strengthening farmers’ capacities. The HGSM model links expo was to foster relationships schools with farmers nearby, creating a stable market for local pro- with local producers in order to duce with predictable demands. Through this partnership, farmers potentially enhance the school receive consistent business while schools receive fresh food. This meals programme through the Home-Grown School Meals helps boosting local economies, especially in rural areas. It also model. School meals that feed serves as an entry point for local farmers to ultimately develop sus- children locally grown food is tainable agribusinesses. doubly beneficial: it is an in- vestment in children’s health Strengthening Government’s capacities. National and local and education as well as an in- governments can strengthen their capacities through the design and vestment in small businesses, management of a local procurement system. both of which could boost Ar- menia’s local economies. Being proactive about climate change. When food is procured locally, as opposed to far away, the emissions from transporting this produce are significantly decreased. Less emissions mean less green- house gases, making HGSM an environmentally sustainable model of WFP Country director Pascale food procurement. Micheau had the opportunity to briefly discuss the mission of Community participation and education. Children could the school meals programme learn in a hands-on way about agriculture and the benefits of good and successful partnership with nutrition. This has far-reaching benefits, as establishing healthy nu- FAO with Armenian Prime trition habits early on increases the chances that children will grow Minister His Excellency Karen up to make healthy choices later on in life. It also means that school Karapetyan during his visit at meals could become a community effort, where everyone does their the expo. Strengthening exist- ing communication with the part to end hunger. Armenian Government will be key to the school meals pro- gramme’s long term objectives and success, as WFP plans to continue to hand over one prov- ince per year to Government ownership. Pulses-themed artwork and crafts at Tisatsan school. Eight Reasons Why Zero Hunger Changes the World 1) Zero Hunger could save the lives of 3.1 million children a year; 2) Well-nourished mothers have healthier babies with stronger immune systems; 3) Ending child undernutrition could increase a developing country‘s GDP by 16.5 percent; 4) A dollar invested in hunger prevention could return between $15 and $139 in benefits; 5) Proper nutrition early in life could mean 46 percent more in lifetime earnings; 6) Eliminating iron deficiency in a population could boost workplace productivity by 20 percent; 7) Ending nutrition-related child mortality could increase a workforce by 9.4 percent; 8) Zero hunger can hlep build a safer, more prosperous world for everyone.