By Obiabin Onukwugha
As the world marked the 2026 World Food Day, environmental bodies have called for stronger support for local farmers, protection of indigenous seeds and improved food production, warning that environmental pollution, climate change and poor government policies are threatening food security in Nigeria, particularly, the Niger Delta region.
The bodies. Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), called for innovations that promote food sovereignty, agroecology and the protection of indigenous seeds, while the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), warned that the Niger Delta is facing growing food insecurity as oil pollution destroys farmlands and fishing grounds.
The organisations in separate statements to commemorate the World Food Day, marked October 16, emphasised that food should not be treated simply as a commodity for making profits, but as an essential part of human health, community development, cultural identity and environmental protection.
The World Food Day, is an annual event that raises awareness about hunger, food security and the need to ensure that everyone has access to safe, nutritious and affordable food.
This year’s theme, “Innovate Today, Nourish Tomorrow,” highlights the need for practical solutions that can protect food systems and ensure that future generations have enough healthy food.
For HOMEF, the occasion should go beyond celebrations and public awareness campaigns. It should be an opportunity for governments, organisations and communities to examine the causes of hunger, address food injustice and protect the rights of farmers.
The organisation noted that hunger remains a serious challenge in a world blessed with abundant natural and human resources. It said climate change, economic instability and conflicts continue to disrupt food production and supply, leaving millions of people struggling to feed themselves.
HOMEF called for food systems that promote diverse local crops, improve nutrition, support smallholder farmers and protect the environment. The body urged governments to ensure that farmers, particularly those in rural and marginalised communities, have access to the knowledge, tools and resources needed to produce healthy food.
The organisation also warned against agricultural approaches that could increase farmers’ dependence on foreign corporations and threaten local seed diversity. It maintained that future food policies should prioritise ecological farming practices and the protection of farmers’ rights.
Speaking on climate resilience and soil health, HOMEF Executive Director, Rev. Nnimmo Bassey, said the day should encourage people to reflect on the weaknesses of the current food system and demand changes that would benefit farmers and communities.
“World Food Day should be a day of reflection. It must also be a day of structural reckoning,” Bassey said.
He warned against the growing dependence on monoculture and cash-crop farming, where farmers concentrate on producing a limited number of crops, often for commercial purposes, instead of maintaining diverse food systems.
According to him, this approach makes food supplies vulnerable to disruptions, weakens soil health and reduces farmers’ control over what they grow.
He argued that Nigeria must move away from a system that places emphasis on increasing harvests at all costs without giving enough attention to soil health, biodiversity and the long-term welfare of farmers.
Bassey called on Nigerians to pay greater attention to the food they consume and support farming methods that protect the environment while providing nutritious food. “Food sovereignty is the essential, missing piece in the currently proposed solutions to the food and climate crises,” he said.
Bassey explained that indigenous seeds, which have been preserved and used by local farmers over generations, could help communities respond to changing weather conditions and other agricultural challenges.
He observed that these seeds contain valuable genetic diversity that can support drought resistance, pest management and improved nutrition. “We must move beyond the short-sighted goal of ‘yield at any cost’ and support a transition to agroecology,” Bassey said.
He added that protecting indigenous seeds was not only about allowing farmers to retain control over their planting materials, but also about preserving biodiversity and maintaining the natural systems that support life.
“Agroecology promotes farming practices that work with nature, protect soil fertility, conserve biodiversity and reduce dependence on harmful chemicals and costly external inputs,” he added.
HOMEF Director of Programmes, Joyce Brown, also called for a food system that respects human rights and gives local farmers greater control over food production.
Brown said it was unacceptable for hunger to persist in a continent with abundant land, water and other resources capable of supporting food production. “Hunger, in a continent with abundant resources, is the ultimate indictment of our current political and economic choices,” she said.
Brown argued that food policies should prioritise smallholder farmers and local food producers rather than favouring large industrial exporters at the expense of communities that depend on farming for their livelihoods.
She explained that food sovereignty means allowing people and communities to participate in decisions about how food is produced, what crops are grown and how land and other natural resources are used.
She also raised concerns about the impact of seed-related policies on farmers’ rights, particularly the Nigerian Plant Variety Protection Law, 2021.
According to her, protecting farmers’ ability to save, exchange and replant traditional seeds is important for maintaining local food systems and preserving the nutritional value of traditional diets.
“Preserving indigenous seeds is a public health imperative because these varieties are inextricably linked to the traditional diets that have sustained human health for years,” Brown said.
She urged the government to ensure that policies protect the rights of farmers and do not undermine the ability of vulnerable communities to produce their own food.
Similarly, Mariann Bassey-Olsson, Deputy Director of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), described seed-saving as an important way of protecting local culture, farmers’ independence and community resilience.
She rejected the argument that industrial agriculture was the only way to feed the world’s growing population, noting that smallholder farmers had sustained communities for generations.
“When we save our indigenous seeds, we are not just preparing for the next planting season and harvest; we are practising a radical act of independence and interdependence, as farmers can share and exchange seeds among themselves,” she said.
Bassey-Olsson explained that indigenous seeds represented generations of knowledge, adaptation and experience passed down by farmers and their ancestors.
She said many traditional varieties were adapted to local soils and climatic conditions, making them valuable resources as communities faced changing weather patterns and other environmental pressures.
“Food sovereignty begins and ends with the absolute freedom to save, exchange, and replant our own varieties. If we lose control of our seeds, we surrender our autonomy,” she said.
YEAC-Nigeria drew attention to the immediate threat that environmental pollution poses to food production and livelihoods in the Niger Delta.
YEAC-NIGERIA warned that food insecurity was worsening across the region as oil pollution, degraded farmlands and declining fish stocks continued to affect local food production.
Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, Dr. Dumnamene Fyneface, said the Niger Delta, which once produced enough food for its people and other communities, was struggling to sustain its food supply.
He blamed the situation on the pollution of creeks, rivers and farmlands, which has affected fishing, farming and other traditional sources of livelihood.
“The creeks that gave us fish and periwinkles are polluted, the farmlands that gave us cassava, yam and vegetables are degraded by oil spills. Our people now buy food they used to produce. This is not sustainable,” Fyneface said.
He described the situation as a serious national concern, arguing that a region that contributes significantly to Nigeria’s wealth should not struggle to feed its own people.
“When a region that produces the wealth of the nation cannot feed itself, it is a national crisis,” he added.
Fyneface further noted that rising food prices and declining local production had made it increasingly difficult for many families in Rivers State and other parts of the Niger Delta to afford three meals a day.
He said addressing food insecurity in the region required more than distributing food or introducing programmes to increase agricultural production.
According to him, government must first tackle the environmental problems that prevent farmers and fishers from carrying out their work safely and productively.
He called on the federal and state governments to invest in local food production by providing smallholder farmers and artisanal fishers with agricultural inputs, extension services and the infrastructure needed to improve their productivity.
The organisation also urged environmental regulatory agencies to enforce existing laws against pollution and prevent further damage to farmlands and water bodies.
It called on governments and other stakeholders to promote climate-smart agriculture to help local food producers adapt to changing weather conditions and protect their livelihoods.
Fyneface stressed that restoring the environment was essential to rebuilding the region’s food system and reducing its dependence on food purchased from other parts of the country.
“On World Food Day, let us remember that there is no food security without environmental security. To fix hunger in the Niger Delta, we must fix the environment first,” he said.
The concerns raised by HOMEF and YEAC-Nigeria highlight the connection between food production, environmental protection, farmers’ rights and public health.
While the organisations emphasised different aspects of the food crisis, both called for a food system that gives local communities greater control over production, protects natural resources and supports the people who grow and supply food.
