The best resolution ever we can make

by Yadav Sharma Bajagai

Jagat Bahadur Shahi (name changed) of Mugu, one of the remote districts of Nepal, hardly remembers when he has been able to feed their fill to his children last time. His six years old daughter and four years old son are so severely malnourished that anyone with kind heart cannot stop tear rolling down his/her eyes seeing them. These children had to bear the demise of their loving mother and Jagat Bahadur's caring wife last year as she was not lucky enough to get adequate food during her pregnancy.  Pouring salt on his wound, his two years old daughter leaved the world last month due to malnutrition. 

Every morning Jagat Bahadur wakes up with a dream of having enough food to feed his children. He has a desire neither for a cozy house nor for a luxury car. He doesn't have a dream to send his children in expensive private school.  He just prays to have a handful of rice for his two little cuties. 

This story of Jagat Bahadur is only a representative of over 870 million hungry people across the world. Worldwide, one in every seven people have no option other than going to bed hungry and more than 14 children die of hunger every minute. 

On the other hand, about 1.3 billion tonnes of food, which is nearly one third of total food produced worldwide, is being wasted or lost from production to consumption. This wasted amount of food could be used to feed millions of hungry people and could have saved millions of life if the food were reached human stomach rather than dumping site. The food that is wasted in Europe annually can feed 200 million people. Similarly, food thrown out only in America is enough to feed every starving children in entire Africa.

It is not only the food wasted but also the wastage of land, water and energy resources used in the food value chain from production to consumption. This thrown out food might have contributed to deforest hectares of land.  Moreover, about 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions in developed countries are due to decomposition of wasted food. 

Therefore, every bite of bread we waste has multifaceted social, economic and environmental effects. First of all, it could have saved a child dying of hunger. Secondly, we are wasting natural resources and inputs used in the production of food. Thirdly, we are contributing to global climate change by throwing the source of greenhouse gases. And of course, our municipal council have to expense extra cost to collect and dump the waste. 

If you really do love the nature, if you really care others, if you sincerely want to be proud of something you did, if you believe in coexistence of each human being, if you genuinely wish that no child die of hunger in our planet, it's very easy to support your cause. Just make a resolution that "I never waste food and never support any activities resulting waste of food". It will be your great charity. This simple move can make a big difference. Let's join our hand together and proudly say "I don't waste food because I care the nature".