Message from the Executive President of the World Development Association to mark World Food Day
World Food Day
Advances in agriculture, science and technology have significantly increased production capacity, improved certain practices and opened up new possibilities for meeting food needs. However, feeding populations sustainably no longer depends solely on the quantity produced. The real challenge is to build systems capable of providing healthy, nutritious and affordable food, whilst ensuring that producers have the conditions they need to make a decent living from their work. The 2026 theme, ‘Innovate today to feed tomorrow’, thus takes on its full meaning when innovation improves the entire food journey, from field to plate.
This transformation remains incomplete. Produce is still being lost due to insufficient storage, preservation, processing or transport capacity; producers remain cut off from finance, markets and technology; whilst many households struggle to access high-quality food on a regular basis because of its cost. Climate, economic and geopolitical crises also highlight the fragility of systems that are overly reliant on vulnerable supply chains. Producing more is therefore not enough when food is lost before it reaches the markets, when those who produce it remain in precarious circumstances, or when families cannot afford to buy it. Innovation must also be used to reduce losses, strengthen local processing, improve nutrition and consolidate regions’ food security.
The World Development Association believes that the performance of a food system must be measured by its ability to feed populations whilst empowering those who sustain it. The WDA therefore advocates for investment that brings research and innovation closer to producers, develops storage and processing infrastructure, facilitates access to markets and finance, secures the means of production, and sustainably improves agricultural incomes. It is also a question of strengthening local capacities so that regions can better withstand crises and rely less on external disruptions to meet their basic needs. Innovating to feed the world of tomorrow means ensuring that no technical progress is divorced from its primary purpose: to enable people to feed themselves with dignity, producers to prosper, and food systems to sustainably support the development of societies.
16 October 2026
Chief Executive
Hugues B. GNIMADI
World Association for Development — AMD
Let us work towards the sustainable development of peoples and communities