Every year on 16 October, FAO marks its founding with a day dedicated to the fight against hunger.
The theme chosen for 2026, “Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow.”, calls for combining cutting-edge solutions, traditional knowledge and inclusive approaches, so that everyone can access sufficient, diverse and nutritious food.
The latest United Nations report on food security (SOFI 2026) estimates that around 645 million people faced hunger in 2025. The figure has fallen for the third year in a row, but progress remains uneven.
Africa is the continent with the largest number of people affected: 309 million, or one in five people.
Yet innovation is not only about introducing new technologies.
It also means building on what communities already know and strengthening it.
This is the approach that guides NutriAid’s work in the field:
- In Senegal, training local agro-meteorological observers enables farmers to read climate conditions and plan their sowing
- The fortified flours used in nutritional rehabilitation programmes are produced from locally sourced foods
- In Kenya, water-efficient community gardens, resilient to the arid climate, bring fresh vegetables and a more varied diet to families’ tables
Innovation and tradition, together, to build a future where every child can grow up free from malnutrition.
