As the world marks World Food Day on October 16th, a day set aside by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to commemorate its founding in 1945 and to raise awareness on hunger and food security, the global call has never been more urgent. This year’s commemoration comes amid a deepening global food system crisis. According to recent FAO reports, over 735 million people faced chronic hunger in 2023, while millions more suffer from malnutrition and hidden hunger. Behind these figures lies a more silent crisis the rapid loss of biodiversity, worsening climate change, and degradation of forests, wildlife, and water resources that sustain our food.From shrinking forests that once provided wild fruits and medicinal foods, to declining bee populations threatening pollination, and polluted water bodies reducing fish stocks, the foundations of our food are under threat. Experts warn that the modern focus on few staple crops has narrowed our food basket, making the system fragile and unsustainable. This is why this year’s focus emphasizes the four Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment, and Better Life. The central message is clear: You cannot have food security without biodiversity security. Conserving our forests, wildlife, and water is not just an environmental duty.
Forests are far more than stands of trees; they are living food baskets and climate regulators. Directly, they provide a wide range of foods that sustain millions, especially rural households — wild fruits like baobab and shea, vegetables like afang and bitter leaf, bush mango (ogbono), nuts, honey, mushrooms, and bush meat. In Nigeria, forest foods serve as a safety net during lean farming seasons. Beyond direct provision, forests act as critical support systems for agriculture. Their leaf litter enriches soil fertility, their canopy hosts pollinators like bees and birds, and they regulate local climate by sequestering carbon, controlling rainfall patterns, and preventing erosion. Agroforestry the deliberate integration of trees with crops and livestock — is a proven example in Nigeria where farmers combine cocoa, plantain, or cassava with indigenous trees, improving yield, conserving soil, and diversifying income. Without healthy forests, our food system loses both its pantry and its protector.
Wildlife, often overlooked, are the unsung heroes behind successful food production. Pollinators such as bees, bats, and birds are responsible for pollinating about 75% of leading food crops globally; without them, yields of cocoa, mangoes, watermelon, and vegetables would collapse. Below the ground, soil organisms like earthworms, fungi, and bacteria build soil structure and recycle nutrients, while natural predators like owls, spiders, and ladybugs control farm pests, reducing the need for chemicals. Perhaps most importantly, wildlife holds a treasure of wild genetic resources wild relatives of crops and indigenous livestock breeds carry traits for disease resistance, drought tolerance, and higher productivity. Scientists use these genes to improve modern varieties and make our food system resilient to climate change. Conserving wildlife is therefore not a luxury, but a strategy to keep agriculture productive and adaptive.
Water is the lifeline that connects biodiversity to food. Aquatic biodiversity provides protein for billions fish alone supplies about 20% of animal protein intake for over 3 billion people, and in Nigeria, inland fisheries and coastal waters support livelihoods of millions. Beyond fish, forests play a crucial role in watershed protection; they act as sponges, storing rainwater, filtering it, and releasing it slowly to rivers and farms. When forests are cleared and wetlands drained, the consequences are immediate: water scarcity, drying of streams, poor irrigation, and loss of dry-season farming. Threats such as water pollution from oil spillages, plastic waste, overfishing, and indiscriminate damming are destroying this lifeline. The loss of wetlands like the Hadejia-Nguru and Niger Delta mangroves not only displaces wildlife but also cuts off food and income for local communities. Protecting water ecosystems is protecting food.
Forests, wildlife, and water are not separate entities — they are intricately interlinked, and when one falls, all fall. This chain effect is clearly seen in deforestation. When trees are felled, wildlife loses habitat and migrates or dies, including pollinators and natural pest controllers essential for crops. Without tree cover, soils are exposed, rainfall washes away topsoil, and rivers lose their natural forest filter, leading to siltation and water scarcity. The result is a vicious cycle: less forest means less water retention, which means less wildlife survival, which in turn means lower crop pollination and reduced food production. A practical example in Nigeria is the loss of forest reserves in Cross River and Oyo States, where deforestation has led to drying of local streams, disappearance of bees and bush mango, and poor cocoa yields. This interdependence proves that food security cannot be achieved by focusing on crops alone. We must conserve the entire ecosystem that sustains food.
Nigeria’s biodiversity and future food supply face serious threats, experts warn. Rampant deforestation for charcoal and farmland, overfishing in the Niger Delta, poaching of wildlife, water pollution from oil spills and industrial waste, and worsening climate change are destroying the ecosystems that support food. The hardest hit are smallholder farmers and rural communities, who depend directly on forests, wild foods, and fisheries. Reports show declining yields, loss of pollinators, and dwindling fish stocks, pushing many families into deeper hunger and poverty as their natural safety nets disappear.
Stakeholders say the way forward is clear and urgent. The adoption of agroecology, sustainable forest management, and integrated water resources management can restore ecosystems while boosting food production. Community-based wildlife conservation, which empowers locals as protectors, is proving effective in several states. Experts also call for stronger policies, integration of indigenous knowledge, and active youth engagement in conservation. As World Food Day reminds us, securing better foods and a better future requires hand-in-hand collaboration to protect the forests, wildlife, and water that feed the nation.
As the world commemorates World Food Day, the conclusion is undeniable: conserving forests, wildlife and water is conserving food itself. Without biodiversity, there can be no sustainable food system or food security. Protecting forests secures food sources and climate stability, conserving wildlife ensures pollination and resilience, and safeguarding water sustains fisheries and farming. Therefore, policymakers must strengthen conservation laws, communities must adopt sustainable practices like agroforestry, and schools must instill biodiversity values in youths. Our future food depends on the ecosystems we protect today.
If forests, wildlife and water continue to decline, hunger, malnutrition and rural poverty will worsen in Nigeria. Food production will become unstable and costly. But if they are conserved, food security, climate resilience, and livelihoods will improve, ensuring better production, better nutrition, and a better life for all.
