Bogor Students Join FAO Poster Competition to Celebrate World Food Day
Bogor. The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Indonesia on Saturday gathered hundreds of students in the Bogor Botanical Gardens to celebrate the upcoming World Food Day on Oct. 16.
A total of 100 students from 20 schools ranging from kindergarten to senior high, flocked to the gardens for a poster competition organized by the FAO.
The event aimed to remind people of the needs of the rural poor and how to break the cycle of poverty that many are trapped in.
"Social protection is about a blend of policies, programs and interventions aimed at protecting the poor and food-insecure people, or those who may be vulnerable," said Mark Smulders, the FAO representative in Indonesia.
Smulders also said that the FAO aimed to raise awareness among children -- the country's next generation of leaders -- about the importance of social protection, through creative processes.
Jokowi's card system
The official added that the Indonesian government already had a number of good programs in place to help ensure the welfare of farmers and fishermen, pointing for instance to the Raskin scheme, which provides rice to low-income families and supplies farmers with fertilizers.
Smulders also praised President Joko Widodo's card system -- the Indonesia Smart Card (KIP) and Indonesia Health Card (KIS) -- which enable the government to track spending on social protection and help make sure that subsidies do not end up in the wrong hands.
Still, Smulders said there was room for improvement, especially in terms of mapping aid recipients and targeting the right groups.
"We can say that there are 20 millions in Indonesia who are hungry," said Smulders. "But where are they exactly? They're scattered across the country."
Lack of innovation
Among the participants in Bogor was 14-year-old Alifia Zahratul Ilmi, who represented her school in the poster competition.
"Poor farmers in developing countries have a problem: low levels of education. It hampers innovation to produce better-quality food. With better education in agriculture, farmers can improve their living standards," Alifia told the Jakarta Globe when asked about what she wanted to express through her drawing.
The poster contest, which has been around since 1981, will be open for contributions until Sept. 30 and students from around the globe can send in artwork via the FAO's website.
The posters will be compiled at the FAO's headquarters in Rome and the winners in each age group will see their posters showcased in the multimedia UN Zero Hunger Itinerary at Expo Milano, where World Food Day will be celebrated this year with the participation of UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon.
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