As the world commemorates World Food Day 2025, the Centre for Food Safety and Agricultural Research (CEFSAR) reflects on last year’s celebration and renews its call for urgent actions that advance food sovereignty, protect farmers’ rights, and secure the future of our food systems.
At last year’s event held at the Cross River State Liaison Office, Lagos, CEFSAR’s Deputy Director, Dr. Segun Adebayo, underscored the need for Nigeria to adopt agroecological solutions that ensure safe, accessible, and sustainable food for all. He emphasized that the nation’s food security cannot depend on external inputs or genetically modified seeds but must be grounded in the preservation of indigenous knowledge, local seed systems, and fair agricultural policies.
“In 2024, we made a bold call for governments to place smallholder farmers at the heart of national food security strategies,” Dr. Adebayo said. “A year later, that message remains even more urgent as rising input costs, climate pressures, and corporate influence continue to threaten our right to safe and nutritious food.”
This year, CEFSAR continues to champion sustainable agricultural research, media advocacy, and policy engagement to support the transition toward food systems that are environmentally sound, socially just, and economically inclusive.
World Food Day 2025 serves as a reminder that achieving zero hunger goes beyond productivity, it requires justice, resilience, and sovereignty in how food is grown, distributed, and consumed.
CEFSAR calls on all stakeholders from policymakers to farmers, consumers, and the media to unite in defending the right to food and building a future where food is not just available, but safe, equitable, and sustainable.