The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has called on the Nigerian government to protect indigenous seeds, strengthen local food systems and promote agroecology as part of efforts to tackle hunger, malnutrition and climate-related food insecurity.
The organisation made the call in a statement to mark this year's World Food Day, observed on October 16, warning that industrial agriculture, restrictive seed policies and the neglect of smallholder farmers threaten food security and biodiversity.
HOMEF Executive Director, Nnimmo Bassey, said the occasion should serve as a period of reflection and a reassessment of food production systems that prioritise monoculture and cash cropping at the expense of agricultural diversity.
Bassey argued that the approach had weakened food supply chains, degraded soil quality and undermined farmers' independence.
He urged Nigerians to pay closer attention to the food they consume, stressing that food sovereignty and the preservation of indigenous seeds were essential to addressing the food and climate crises.
According to him, indigenous seeds provide valuable genetic diversity that can help crops withstand drought, manage pests and improve nutritional quality in the face of changing climatic conditions.
He called for a transition to agroecology, which promotes environmentally sustainable farming practices, while warning against agricultural methods that pursue higher yields without sufficient regard for ecological consequences.
Also speaking, HOMEF's Director of Programmes, Joyce Brown, described hunger in a resource-rich continent like Africa as evidence of shortcomings in existing political and economic policies.
Brown maintained that food should not be treated merely as a commodity for profit, but as a fundamental human right closely linked to public health, cultural identity and community livelihoods.
She called on governments and international institutions to review policies that favour industrial exporters over small-scale local farmers, who play a critical role in supplying food for their communities.
Brown also raised concerns about the implications of Nigeria's Plant Variety Protection Law, 2021, for farmers' rights to save, exchange and replant indigenous seeds, arguing that protecting these rights was essential to nutritional security and local food sovereignty.
Similarly, Deputy Director of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Mariann Bassey-Olsson, described seed-saving as an act of resistance, independence and cultural preservation.
Bassey-Olsson rejected the argument that industrial agriculture was the only viable means of feeding the world's population, noting that smallholder farmers had sustained communities for generations through traditional farming practices.
She said indigenous seeds represented the accumulated knowledge and resilience of previous generations, adding that farmers' ability to save, exchange and replant their seeds was central to food sovereignty.
The environmental advocate warned that losing control of indigenous seeds could undermine farmers' autonomy and increase their dependence on foreign corporations.
HOMEF further called for greater investment in diverse local food systems and improved access to agricultural knowledge and resources for smallholder farmers and marginalised communities.
The organisation also advocated regenerative farming practices, including agroecology, to improve soil health, enhance food nutrition, protect biodiversity and strengthen rural livelihoods.
World Food Day is observed annually on October 16 to raise awareness about hunger and food security and promote access to safe, nutritious and affordable food.
The statement, signed by HOMEF's Media and Communications Manager, Kome Odhomor, urged governments, organisations and individuals to address the root causes of hunger and malnutrition while ensuring that food systems protect farmers' rights, communities and the environment.