Weltnahrungstag - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 1981 - 6 Shilling

The world population is constantly increasing as well as the number of people who are malnourished or severely damaged by one-sided nutrition. Millions of people die every year from diseases that occur as a result of their diet. In some Latin American countries, more than half of all deaths in children under five can be attributed to nutritional deficiencies. These are only examples of the threatening situation of food supply in the wake of rising population numbers. At the 1st Conference on Food and Agriculture, held in 1943 in Hot Springs, Virginia, USA, the foundation stone was laid for the FAO. On 16 October 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations was formally established in Quebec, Canada. Its objectives are to raise the food and living standards of peoples within their respective legal systems and to improve the production and distribution of all food and agricultural products. It also aims to increase the quality of life of the rural population and contribute to the development of the world economy in the service of starving people. Together with the United Nations, the FAO founded the World Food Program in 1963. The program manages funds, food and services from Member States' contributions, which are available for socially-oriented development projects and as disaster relief. The 20th General Assembly of FAO decided in 1979 to organize a World Food Day, which was first held in 1981.