Every year, the United Nations identifies specific areas or topics that will become focal points for the world for that year. Most years have several topics, at least one of which has some natural science element to it. The purpose of the designation is to promote the objectives of the organization through awareness and action. Here are some of the example from the past 10 years.
In 2011, one of the focuses was Forests, while another was Chemistry.
In 2012, it was Sustainable Energy.
In 2013, it was Quinoa, as well as Water Cooperation.
In 2014, it was Family Farming.
In 2015, it was Soils.
In 2016, it was Pulses (dry legumes).
In 2017, it was Sustainable Tourism.
In 2018, there wasn’t anything designated.
In 2019, it was the Periodic Table of the Chemical Elements.
In 2020, it was Plant Health.
2021 has been designated as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables (among other things). As someone that is particularly interested in the cultivation of fruits and vegetables (both personally, and professionally, as a support to these industries), I was delighted to hear this.
The IYFV 2021 is a unique opportunity to raise awareness on the important role of fruits and vegetables in human nutrition, food security and health and as well in achieving the sustainable development goals of the United Nations.
For more information on the IYFV, visit http://www.fao.org/fruits-vegetables-2021
We are what we eat. We are constantly being encouraged to add more fruits and vegetables to our plates. And why not?!? The consumption of fruits and vegetables contributes to a healthier lifestyle. The production of fruits and vegetables can bring a great deal of satisfaction and makes significant contributions to local, regional, provincial, and national economies. Growing fruits and veggies isn’t necessarily the easiest thing to do on the Canadian Prairies, but it is certainly an important area, and has been receiving more and more interest in recent years.
Since fruit and vegetable production has been a part of my education and my professional work for somewhere between 18 and 28 years, I am excited to have another excuse to continue to work in this area (truth, I didn’t need an excuse). For 2021, I am working on developing and launching some introductory vegetable and prairie fruit production presentation modules to help new growers to navigate entry into the industry. These will be paired with my consultation and support services. These same services are also available for growers of any size, scale, focus, and experience level.
If it has to do with fruits or vegetables, I want to be involved.