More than 115 organizations worldwide have joined a coalition urging urgent action against global hunger. This initiative follows the call from 153 Nobel and World Food Prize Laureates for a “moonshot” effort to transform food systems.
The new endorsement was announced at the World Food Prize Foundation’s DialogueNEXT conference in Washington, D.C. The organizations involved include research institutions, nonprofits, and industry leaders such as The Rockefeller Foundation, Wageningen University and Research, and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). Regional contributors include EARTH University in Costa Rica, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation in India, and AfricaRice Center in Côte d’Ivoire. Their involvement strengthens a global effort to accelerate agricultural innovation and food security.
Earlier this year, Nobel Laureates and World Food Prize winners warned that the world was “not even close” to meeting future food needs. Climate change continues to threaten staple crops, and an estimated 700 million people already suffer from hunger. By 2050, an additional 1.5 billion people will require food, increasing the urgency for agricultural innovation. The original call was coordinated by Cary Fowler, joint 2024 World Food Prize Laureate and former U.S. Special Envoy for Global Food Security. It was signed by key figures such as Nobel Prize-winning scientist Robert Woodrow Wilson and the 14th Dalai Lama.
Roy Steiner, Senior Vice President of the Food Initiative at The Rockefeller Foundation, emphasized the urgency of action: “We must all step up to advance solutions and initiatives to scale food that is good for people and planet. Our futures are at stake.” Similarly, Michael Keller, Secretary General of the International Seed Federation, reinforced the role of innovation in addressing food security: “By signing this letter, we reaffirm that innovation in seed and plant breeding, supported by robust, science-based policy frameworks, is critical to tackling two of the most pressing challenges of our time: food insecurity and the climate crisis.”
The announcement comes amid growing concerns over the state of global agriculture. Climate change, population growth, and declining crop yields present severe risks to food security. The World Food Prize Foundation’s DialogueNEXT conference brings together experts from academia, industry, and policymaking to discuss solutions. With 9.7 billion people to feed by 2050, urgent action is required to mobilize resources, implement new policies, and develop innovative agricultural technologies. Without immediate efforts, the world faces an increasingly unstable and food-insecure future.
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