By QU Dongyu | Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Hunger is not inevitable. The world already possesses much of the capacity, tools, technologies and knowledge needed to ensure food security for all. Yet in 2025, 645 million people still faced hunger, while about one in three people worldwide could not afford a healthy diet.
At a time when scientific advances and new technologies are reshaping entire economies and societies, innovations that can help people around the world better produce and access nutritious foods, improve livelihoods and build resilience remain out of reach. The challenge is not a shortage of innovation, but a shortage of adoption at scale: turning proven solutions into locally adapted, affordable and investable options that farmers and agrifood enterprises can use, sustain and scale. This idea is at the heart of this year's World Food Day theme: "Innovate today.
Nourish tomorrow." The transformation of agrifood systems is a comprehensive approach, under the overall guidance of the Four Betters – better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind. Digital advisory services can give farmers access to weather forecasts, market prices and tailored guidance, helping them make better decisions on planting, farm management and marketing. Animal disease surveillance and early-warning systems can detect emerging threats earlier, giving veterinary services and livestock keepers more time to act before outbreaks spread.
Soil moisture and nutrient sensors and precision irrigation can help farmers use resources and inputs more efficiently. Satellite and geospatial tools are enabling countries to monitor forests and changes in land use. Better market data and early-warning systems can also help governments anticipate pressures on food prices, supplies and trade, and respond sooner.
For generations, farmers, Indigenous Peoples and local communities have conserved and developed crop varieties, harvested and managed scarce water, cared for soils, and managed landscapes and biodiversity. Agricultural systems built around such knowledge and practices are now recognized and supported through FAO’s Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) programme. Such knowledge remains an important source of innovation today, including when combined with modern science and technology to help producers adapt to changing climatic and environmental challenges.
Yet too many proven innovations remain unavailable, unaffordable or insufficiently adapted to local farming conditions. For millions of small-scale producers, particularly women and young people, limited access to finance, technologies, infrastructure, information, markets and connectivity continues to constrain adoption and scale. Closing this gap requires stronger links between science, innovation and delivery, working with institutions, governments, the private sector, producer organizations and communities.
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