World Food Day 2025: Current challenges and future perspectives on food security in a changing world

Background

UN World Food Day, held annually on 16 October, is a timely opportunity to showcase the progress, innovation and challenges in the field of sustainable food systems. In 2025, agrifood systems are facing unprecedented challenges. Extreme climate events threaten crop yields and livelihoods, while armed conflicts disrupt cultivation and trade. Economic shocks reverberate through fragile supply chains, exacerbating global inequalities and intensifying stress on the land, water, and biodiversity that sustain us all.

Transformative change demands access to knowledge, integrating novel approaches, and supporting those most at risk of food insecurity, all while ensuring our solutions work with nature, not against it.

Scope and submission topics

This Research Topic aims to further scientific innovation, policy ingenuity, and community wisdom to create a sustainable and food-secure future. We invite those working in these fields to share their analysis, opinions and research. Manuscripts should align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and advance our understanding and capability to foster resilient, equitable agrifood systems.

While studies need not necessarily present evidence at a global scale, they should be framed to offer insights relevant to the broader challenges facing the world food system, rather than focusing solely on local case studies

We welcome interdisciplinary contributions that examine, but are not limited to:

Resilience: Strategies for building food system resilience to conflict, climatic extremes, and economic disruptions.

Equity and inclusion: Research centered on policies and practices that empower marginalized communities and promote equitable access to resources and decision-making.

Technological integration: Digital, agroecological, and nature-based solutions supporting both food security and environmental sustainability.

Supply chain transformation: Approaches to enhance stability, resilience and transparency in supply chains, including diversification and traceability systems.

Innovative partnerships: Case studies of successful multi-stakeholder collaborations, including governmental, non-governmental, and community-led initiatives.

Bridging knowledge and action: Educational, participatory, and policy frameworks aligning scientific advances with local realities.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

World Food Day 2025: Current challenges and future perspectives on food security in a changing world