Footballer Carlos Tevez wades in to food security debate

Footballer Carlos Tevez has waded in to the food security debate and stressed the importance of supplying farmers with the tools to feed the world.

In a video posted on YouTube, the former Manchester City striker reflects on a tough upbringing in the outskirts of Buenos Aires in Argentina without an adequate supply of healthy, nutritious food.

He then likens farming to football, saying we will need “organisation, motivation and strategy” to feed the growing world population.

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“I know what it’s like to not have sufficient and nutritious food. From where I come, Fuerte Apache, many people face this challenge,” said Tevez.

“I also work in a field. I grew up with football and football is my life and my passion.

“It is only a matter of organisation, motivation and strategy. Those are the ingredients to tackle any challenge you may face, including food insecurity.”

Argentine international Tevez, who plays his club football for Juventus in Italy, was speaking in a video address to the opening session of World Farmers’ Organisation’s General Assembly in Buenos Aires this week.

He finishes his address saying: “World needs food. World needs farmers. The field is future. The strength you invest to grant good food to the humanity is invaluable.”

Tevez is the latest football star to speak up in support of farmers. Football legend Eric Cantona appeared in a witty TV ad for Kronenbourg last year, claiming that hop farmers in France were treated with the same veneration as footballers in Alsace.