Africa cannot afford a food system that leaves millions hungry, treats animals merely as units of production, marginalises small-scale farmers and degrades the land on which future generations depend. Producing more food is necessary but producing more of the same, at any cost, is not the answer.
As we marked World Food Day on 16 October, we face a fundamental question: Are we building food systems that genuinely nourish people, protect animals and sustain the environment or are we simply making an unjust system more efficient?
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) chose “Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow” as this year's World Food Day theme. It is a timely call to action. But innovation must mean more than technological advances, higher yields and industrial expansion. It must also mean rethinking how we produce food, who benefits from the production and who bears its hidden costs.
Across Africa, hunger, climate change, biodiversity loss, animal disease and persistent inequality are interconnected. We cannot address the challenges in isolation. Nor can animal welfare remain a secondary concern, disconnected from food security, public health and sustainable development.
A food system that depends on preventable animal suffering, environmental degradation and the economic vulnerability of smallholder farmers cannot credibly claim to be sustainable.
African leadership must mean African ownership
For too long, important decisions about Africa's agricultural future have been shaped beyond the continent. Even civil society agendas, including animal welfare priorities, have too often reflected external funding structures rather than the lived realities of African communities.
In a recent open letter, South African social justice activist Jay Naidoo challenged civil society to reconsider where power and accountability lie. His call for communities to organise locally, restore land, grow food and reclaim agency over their own development carries particular significance for the animal welfare movement.
International solidarity remains essential. But partnership must not become dependency, and international recognition must never substitute for African leadership.
Africa possesses extensive agricultural knowledge, diverse food cultures, Indigenous practices, innovative farmers, dedicated veterinarians, researchers and grassroots organisations. What is often missing is adequate investment, institutional support and meaningful participation in decision-making.
My recent election to the Board of the World Federation for Animals, representing the African region, comes at an important moment. While this recognises Africa's growing contribution to the global animal protection movement, its real significance will be measured by what it achieves for communities and animals across our continent.
A seat at the international table is not the destination. It is an opportunity to ensure that African perspectives influence global policy and that international commitments translate into practical improvements on the ground.
From declarations to action
There are encouraging developments.
In West Africa, the Economic Community of West African States is strengthening regional responses to avian influenza and foot-and-mouth disease, creating opportunities to integrate animal welfare into disease surveillance, livestock transport and outbreak management.
In Zambia, the veterinary profession has called for stronger, enforceable animal welfare legislation and humane approaches to disease-related culling.
In South Africa, the Constitutional Court's 9 October 2026 decision left important legislative provisions recognising animal well-being intact after dismissing a challenge largely on procedural grounds. While the judgment does not establish new farm animal welfare standards, it reinforces the importance of recognising animals' physical and mental well-being, quality of life and ability to cope with their environment.
The developments reflect a growing understanding that animal protection cannot be limited to responding to extreme cruelty. It must also address the conditions in which animals are bred, raised, transported and slaughtered.
But progress cannot be measured by declarations alone. It must be visible in the lives of animals, the livelihoods of farmers and the resilience of communities.
What meaningful food systems transformation requires
First, national agricultural policies, food security strategies and livestock and aquaculture development plans must embed animal welfare. Standards must be practical, enforceable and supported by institutions capable of implementing them.
Second, farmers must receive meaningful support to transition to more humane and environmentally responsible production. Expecting small-scale producers to absorb the full cost of change is neither realistic nor just. Governments, development finance institutions and international partners must invest in infrastructure, veterinary services, disease prevention and market access.
Third, Africa must carefully consider expanding intensive animal production. The demand for affordable meat, eggs, dairy and fish cannot justify production systems that cause avoidable suffering or increase environmental and disease risks. Our development choices must include higher-welfare farming practices and more diversified food production.
Fourth, agroecology, regenerative agriculture, Indigenous knowledge and diverse, nutritious diets deserve greater investment. Improving access to affordable plant-based foods, alongside higher-welfare standards for farmed animals, can help build more resilient food systems suited to local conditions.
Finally, communities must have genuine decision-making power. Smallholder farmers, agricultural workers, women, young people, veterinarians, researchers and civil society organisations must help shape policies from the outset, rather than being consulted after priorities have been set.
The African Union, FAO, the World Organisation for Animal Health, regional economic communities and other international institutions have important responsibilities. We should judge their success not by the number of conferences convened or declarations adopted but by measurable improvements in food security, environmental sustainability, animal welfare and rural livelihoods.
The real measure of leadership
Africa's challenge is not simply to produce more food. It is to transform the systems that determine how food is produced, distributed and consumed.
My election to the World Federation for Animals Board carries an obligation to strengthen African institutions, amplify grassroots perspectives and advance policies that recognise the interconnected well-being of people, animals and the planet.
The responsibility must extend beyond international boardrooms. It must reach poultry farms, pig production facilities, dairy herds, aquaculture operations, livestock markets and rural communities.
African governments, agricultural businesses, development partners and civil society must commit to a different measure of progress: one that values human dignity, animal welfare, ecological integrity and equitable development.
We cannot build a just food system on animal suffering. We cannot achieve food security by destroying the environment that sustains agriculture. And we cannot speak of transformation while excluding the communities whose futures are at stake.
Africa must not merely participate in the global conversation about the future of food. It must help define that future.
The future of food must be humane. The transformation must be just. And Africa must lead.
Tozie Zokufa is executive director of the Coalition of African Animal Welfare Organisations and was recently elected to the Board of the World Federation for Animals, representing Africa. The views expressed are his own.