The intercultural dialogue contributes to world agriculture and is a precondition for progress against hunger and environmental degradation, United Nation Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General Dr. Jacques Diouf said Sunday.

"Throughout the history, the intercultural movement of crops and livestock breeds has revolutionized diets and reduced poverty in the world," said Diouf at Rome's FAO headquarters during a ceremony celebrating this year's World Food Day, of which the theme is "agriculture and intercultural dialogue."

"Africa gave the world coffee - now a popular beverage worldwide and a mainstay of Latin American agriculture. Asia domesticated rice - today the staple food for over half the world's population - and sugar cane, a major cash crop in many regions. The introduction of the camel to Africa from Arabia allowed people to live and travel in more extreme environments and contributed meat and milk to diets," he said.

Now about 2.57 billion people depend on agriculture, hunting, fishing or forestry for their livelihoods, including those actively engaged in those activities and their non-working dependants. They represent 42 percent of all human beings, Diouf said.

More than 850 million people around the world remain hungry, according to FAO's report. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals commit world leaders to reduce the proportion of people who suffer from hunger by half by 2015.

"Many international initiatives and civil society networks, such as the International Alliance Against Hunger, are promoting intercultural dialogue to help achieve these goals. World Food Day provides an opportunity at the local, national and international levels to further dialogue and enhance solidarity," Diouf said.

Human and cultural ingenuity, the right vision, partnership and support - including that of FAO and the international community - can surely lead to progress in achieving food security for all, Diouf added.

World Food Day is a yearly celebration on the anniversary of the founding of the FAO on Oct. 16, 1945. FAO is the United Nations' leading agency in the fight against global hunger.

Source: Xinhua