1222. Momentum for a "Moonshot" for Food and Nutrition Security

In an open letter signed by 153 winners of the Nobel Prize and World Food Prize in January 2025, the signatories warned that the world was “not even close” to meeting future food needs, with an estimated 700 million people going hungry today and an additional 1.5 billion people to feed by 2050.　 

The letter predicted humanity would face an “even more food insecure, unstable world” by mid-century unless the international community ramped up support for the latest research and innovation. Citing challenges including climate change, conflict and market pressures, it called for “planet-friendly ‘moonshot’ efforts leading to substantial, not just incremental, leaps in food production for food and nutrition security.” The appeal was coordinated by Dr. Cary Fowler, joint 2024 World Food Prize Laureate, who is the former U.S. Special Envoy for Global Food Security.

On March 25, 2025, at DialogueNEXT in Washington, D.C., Governor Tom Vilsack, CEO of the World Food Prize Foundation, announced that over 115 organizations worldwide have signed the Laureate Letter. JIRCAS also endorsed the Letter. This historic call to action unites leaders across all regions in a shared commitment to accelerating agricultural research and innovation—critical steps to ensuring a sustainable, food-secure future for our growing global population.

Contributor: IIYAMA Miyuki, Information Program