HOMEF urges support for indigenous seeds, food sovereignty
The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has called for greater support for indigenous seeds and agroecology to tackle hunger, malnutrition and climate change.
The ecology-focused organisation made the call in a statement issued by its Media and Communications Lead, Kome Odhomor, on Friday to mark the 2026 World Food Day.
Nathan Tamarapreye
The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has called for greater support for indigenous seeds and agroecology to tackle hunger, malnutrition and climate change.
The ecology-focused organisation made the call in a statement issued by its Media and Communications Lead, Kome Odhomor, on Friday to mark the 2026 World Food Day.
HOMEF urged governments to protect farmers’ rights and promote sustainable food systems, stressing that food sovereignty was essential to ensuring food security, preserving biodiversity and strengthening the resilience of local farming communities.
It noted that millions of people, particularly in Africa, continued to face hunger despite the continent’s abundant natural and human resources.
The foundation attributed the crisis to climate change, economic instability, conflicts and food systems that prioritised industrial production at the expense of agricultural diversity.
HOMEF’s Executive Director, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, said World Food Day provided an opportunity to reflect on the structural causes of hunger and the weaknesses of existing food systems.
Bassey criticised monoculture and cash-crop farming, arguing that these practices reduced agricultural diversity, degraded soil health and undermined farmers’ independence.
He urged Nigerians to pay greater attention to their food choices and support agricultural practices that protected the environment and strengthened local food production.
“Food sovereignty is the essential, missing piece in the currently proposed solutions to the food and climate crises,” he said.
Bassey described indigenous seeds as valuable sources of genetic diversity that could help improve drought resistance, manage pests and enhance nutrition.
He called for a transition to agroecology, emphasising that protecting indigenous seeds was crucial to preserving biodiversity and maintaining healthy ecosystems.
The statement also quoted HOMEF’s Director of Programmes, Joyce Brown, as saying that hunger amid abundant resources reflected failures in political and economic decision-making.
Brown said food should be recognised as a fundamental human right rather than merely a commodity traded for profit.
She urged governments and international institutions to review policies that favoured industrial exporters over small-scale farmers who supplied local food markets.
Brown also warned that restricting farmers’ access to indigenous seeds could undermine nutrition and food security.
Citing Nigeria’s Plant Variety Protection Act, 2021, she called for policies that safeguarded farmers’ rights to save, exchange and replant seeds.
Mariann Bassey-Olsson, Deputy Director of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), described seed saving as an act of resistance and cultural preservation.
She rejected the argument that industrial agriculture was the only viable means of feeding the world, noting that smallholder farmers had sustained communities for generations.
Bassey-Olsson said indigenous seeds embodied centuries of agricultural knowledge and adaptation, enabling farmers to respond to local environmental conditions.
She stressed that farmers’ freedom to save, exchange and replant seeds was central to food sovereignty and agricultural independence.
HOMEF also cautioned against agricultural approaches it considered harmful to biodiversity, including the genetic modification of crops, arguing that such practices could increase farmers’ dependence on foreign corporations.
The foundation called for greater investment in local food systems and improved access to agricultural knowledge and resources, particularly for smallholder farmers and marginalised communities.
It said future food systems should prioritise nutritious food, restore soil health, protect ecosystems and improve rural livelihoods through sustainable agricultural practices.
World Food Day is observed annually on 16 October to raise awareness of hunger and encourage action to ensure access to safe, nutritious and affordable food.
The theme for the 2026 celebration is “Innovate Today” and “Nourish Tomorrow”.
