SA Harvest Marks Fourth Anniversary On World Food Day, Celebrating The Delivery Of 48.3 Million Meals
SA Harvest Marks Fourth Anniversary On World Food Day, Celebrating The Delivery Of 48.3 Million Meals. Celebrating its fourth anniversary on World Food Day, leading food rescue and hunger relief organisation SA Harvest reflects on its remarkable achievements over the past four years. This milestone coincides with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) theme of ‘Water is Food, Water is Life,’ a message that resonates deeply with SA Harvest’s mission.
Dr. QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) says, “All of us need to stop taking water for granted. Making informed decisions about the products we buy, wasting less water and preventing flooding disaster and pollution are easy ways for everybody to contribute to positive action for a future of prosperity for people and the planet. They are central to achieving what we at FAO refer to as the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life – to ensure no one is left behind,”
In South Africa, where over 60% of available freshwater resources are used in agriculture, primarily in irrigated agriculture, SA Harvest recognises the urgent need to promote sustainable irrigation technologies that optimise food production without increasing water usage while fostering positive environmental outcomes. In 2017, the WWF reported that one-fifth of SA’s water is used for food that is wasted. About 1.7 km3 of water is extracted from ground and surface water bodies to produce food that is subsequently wasted in South Africa. This is around a fifth of South Africa’s total water withdrawals.
“Over the course of four years, SA Harvest has delivered an incredible 48.3 million meals to those in need. This monumental achievement is a testament to our commitment to address the systemic causes of hunger through systemic intervention,” says Alan Browde, CEO, and founder of SA Harvest. This significant accomplishment is only one part of the organisation’s mission. SA Harvest has also rescued an astounding 14.5 million kilograms of perfectly good, nutritious food that would otherwise have gone to waste, contributing to reducing food waste and promoting sustainability.
