World Food Day | Kojagrat Vrata

o mark and commemorate the anniversary of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, every year, World Food Day is celebrated across the globe on October 16. This day aims at tackling global hunger and striving to eradicate hunger across the world.

World Food Day was established in November 1979, suggested by former Hungarian Minister of Agriculture and Food Dr. Pal Romany. It is celebrated by more than 150 countries around the world. Every year on October 16, World Food Day is celebrated to fight the food crisis and hunger around the world. World Food and Agriculture Organization F.A.O. According to, the biggest challenge posed by climate change is the food crisis. On the other hand, the population of the earth is increasing day by day, and to bring this proportion of the growing population towards food security, it is necessary to make the traditional methods of agriculture more productive and commercialized by adapting to climate change. Today's need is to be able to produce as much as possible by cultivating seasonal and non-seasonal crops even on small land and to use food sparingly.


Theme 2024: “Right to foods for a better life and a better future.”


Food production in Nepal
Two decades ago, when more than 80 percent of the total population was engaged in agriculture, most of the households in Nepal still make a living by digging up soil and agriculture. It is estimated that more than 60 percent of the Nepali population is still, directly and indirectly, involved in agriculture. If we look at the family profession of many of us, we find that one or two generations ago there is a substantial trace of the farming profession.


The gradual cessation of production of locally grown crops, the use of highly toxic pesticides to reduce the capacity of productive soils and the gradual disappearance of indigenous species are the challenges of food management in the 21st century. Nepal commenced its modern development but abandoned its participatory social engagement in agriculture and this is why today such a fertile Nepal has been importing foods from foreign markets. Today is also the day when Nepali must understand that agriculture is the most glamorous and responsible profession to undertake and lucrative also. Especially in Nepal, we are still not able to engage in commercial agriculture and the main reasons for this are the inability to encourage and attract students in agricultural education, this could be because of the lack of actions in government policymaking or many other reasons.


In the 1960s, Nepal was one of the sixth largest exporters of rice in the world, but agriculture in Nepal has been declining and today Nepal is at the peak of importing many agricultural products including rice.


If we compare the city of 50 years ago with the city of today, only the mouths of food grow more than the hands that grow, this is a problem for food crisis management. World Food Day is also important to make the world, which enjoys technology, communication, and physical infrastructure, aware of future problems due to declining investment and enthusiasm for slow food production. According to a statistic, by 2025, due to food shortage in the world, large corporations in developed countries have been claiming to invest in the vacant lands of developing countries. In the post COVID era, food security and sovereignty is more vital than ever before.


The movement of middlemen between farmers and consumers should be reduced and transparent relations should be maintained between producers and consumers. Land distribution should be productive, irrigation facilities should be simple and market management should be fair. Let's remember, food is the essence of our survival and the bedrock of our culture and communities.


Happy World Food Day everyone!

Dashain has officially come to an end.

The 15 days from Dashain Pratipada to today's full moon is also called Durgapaksha. Today, on the Kojagrat full moon, the full moon will rise in the sky at night and the auspicious lights (Mahadeep Jyoti) will be lit at night in the temples including Swayambhu in Kathmandu. Kojagrat Purnima is also the day of Pratipada, the day when the soil deposited in Ghatsthapana and the collected jamaras are duly disposed of in a river or reservoir.


There is another significance of this day, the day that Goddess Lakshmi comes to visit the earth at night, and those who do not sleep at night and worship and chant Lord Laxmi's bhajan are believed to be blessed by Dhanadhanya Goddess.


 After the Kojagrat Purnima, it is customary to cut bamboo and make a small house of colored paper on its top and light a skylight inside it every evening till the day of Kartik Shukla Purnima.

 In the Terai, it is customary to play Kauda today. Kauda is like a kind of gambling. Small pieces of Kauda are thrown into the playing arena (Khaal) by hand and money is wagered depending on the possibility of turning them over and returning them.

 It is getting cold at night along with the cold. Don't underestimate the growing cold, especially in the case of children and the elderly. Let's wait for colorful Tihar now.

- Suyog Dhakal