Uganda to mark 45th world food day on October 16

1 October 2025, 3:25 pm

By Edwin Okurmu Kisa

Uganda will join the global community in commemorating the 45th World Food Day (WFD) on 16 October 2025, under the theme “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future,” the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) announced today.

The national celebrations will be held at Rwebitaba Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (ZARDI), Kyembogo Station, Kabarole District.

According to the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Frank Tumwebaze Kagyigyi, this year’s WFD aligns with the 80th anniversary of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), with whom Uganda has maintained strong collaboration over the years.

“This year’s theme is a call for collaboration across governments, organisations, the private sector, academia, and communities to transform our agrifood systems. In Uganda, it resonates with the tradition of Bulungi Bwansi, working together for the common good,” the Minister said.

Community-focused activities will include tree planting, market clean-ups, school gardens, and public dialogues engaging farmers, traders, and other stakeholders to address food production and distribution challenges.

Highlighting the relevance of the theme, the Minister said over 70 per cent of Ugandans rely on agriculture, yet challenges such as low productivity, post-harvest losses, climate change, and limited market access persist. He stressed that the commemoration is also an opportunity to address nutrition, food security, and climate-smart agriculture.

The Minister further noted that Uganda continues to grapple with malnutrition, with about 25 per cent of children under five stunted, making access to safe, nutritious, and affordable food a priority. He also emphasised that unity and inclusive agricultural development can reduce rural poverty and contribute to peace and stability.

The choice of Rwebitaba Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute as the host site is deliberate, he explained, as it is a leading agricultural research centre specialising in tea, coffee, bananas, pasture improvement, and agroforestry. The venue will showcase government innovations in crop research, value addition, seed systems, animal feed security, technology demonstrations, and post-harvest handling, and will unveil new crop varieties for community uptake and commercialisation.

He concluded by urging farmers, researchers, policymakers, the private sector, civil society, development partners, and the media to work hand in hand for better foods and a better future, ensuring that World Food Day serves as a springboard for sustained action to improve food security in Uganda.