“REGENERATION – Healthy Food, Healthy Communities, Healthy Planet.”

WORLD FOOD WEEK 2026 12–17 October 2026 REGENERATION “Healthy Food, Healthy Communities, Healthy Planet” Let us regenerate the soil, protect water, safeguard food and strengthen communities. WORLD FOOD DAY – 16 OCTOBER What is “Regeneration”? The way we produce our food can harm the Earth. At the same time, if we use the right methods, we can restore soil, water, ecosystems and the wellbeing of communities. Regenerative agriculture and environmentally friendly farming mean producing food in ways that are connected with nature. What we need is not simply to take food from the Earth, but to regenerate the Earth while producing food. START WITH OUR SELF-SUFFICIENT UNITS (SSUs) The Self-Sufficient Units (SSUs) of the Praja Abhilasha Network are not merely places where food is produced. They are spaces that: • build household food security; • protect local seeds; • protect bees and other biodiversity; • produce food without/reducing harmful chemicals; • protect water and soil; • share the knowledge of farmers and fishing communities; • build community cooperation; and • act for food sovereignty. 1. LET US REGENERATE THE SOIL Healthy soil is the first requirement for healthy food. Within our SSUs: • Use compost. • Return household organic waste to the soil. • Use earthworms to protect and enrich soil. • Reduce chemical fertilizer and pesticide use as much as possible. • Grow diverse crops together. • Keep soil covered and avoid exposing it unnecessarily. “If the soil dies, our food system also becomes weak.” 2. LET US PROTECT LOCAL SEEDS Local seeds preserved by our ancestors for generations are a valuable resource for our food sovereignty. Therefore: • Collect and conserve local seeds. • Exchange seeds. • Select quality seeds and preserve them for the next season. • Reintroduce traditional crops in our villages. Protecting seeds means protecting our future food. 3. OUR HOME GARDEN – OUR FOOD BANK Even a small piece of land can produce food. We can grow: • leafy vegetables; • vegetables; • chillies; • yams; • medicinal plants; • fruits; and • local food crops. “Our aim: every SSU family should produce as much food as possible from its own land.” 4. LET US PROTECT BIODIVERSITY Bees, butterflies, birds, insects and other living beings are important parts of our food system. • Bees help pollination. • Earth organisms enrich the soil. • Birds contribute to ecological balance. Therefore, a home garden should not be only a place for crops; it should also be a habitat for living beings. 5. LET US PROTECT WATER Water is essential for food production. We can: • use water without wasting it; • collect rainwater; • keep waterways and streams clean; • prevent chemicals from entering water; • protect wetlands, tanks, lagoons and coastal ecosystems. Protecting water means protecting food. 6. FARMERS AND FISHERS ARE BOTH GUARDIANS OF THE FOOD SYSTEM Our food system is not made up only of farmers. Fishers, farmers, farm workers, food processors, traders and consumers are all parts of the food chain. For fishing communities: • use marine resources sustainably; • protect coasts and lagoons; • protect fish breeding areas; • do not throw waste into the sea; and • respect the knowledge and rights of fishing communities. These are important parts of our food sovereignty. 7. LET US BRING BACK OUR TRADITIONAL FOODS Many traditional foods once found in our villages are disappearing from our daily diets. Let us rediscover: • local grains; • yams; • coconut-based foods; • leafy vegetables; • local fruits; • traditional medicinal foods; and • local vegetables. “Our food culture – our health – our identity.” 8. NOT ONLY PRODUCE FOOD – LET US PREVENT FOOD WASTE A large amount of produced food is wasted, and this is part of the food crisis. Therefore: • prepare only the amount needed; • share surplus food; • dry fruits and vegetables; • preserve food; • save seeds and planting materials for the next season; and • compost food waste. “Preventing food waste is also part of food sovereignty.” 9. WHAT IS FOOD SOVEREIGNTY? Food sovereignty is the right of people to make decisions about their own food system. This means: • farmers can make decisions about their own seeds; • fishers have the right to protect their sea and resources; • women’s knowledge and role must be recognized; • the livelihoods of small farmers and fishers must be protected; and • consumers must have access to healthy food. Food is not merely a commodity – it is a right to life. WORLD FOOD WEEK 2026 12–17 OCTOBER 12 OCTOBER – WHY DO WE CELEBRATE WORLD FOOD DAY? Sub-theme: “Food is our right – food security is our responsibility.” World Food Day is celebrated every year on 16 October. It commemorates the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 1945. The day reminds us that every person has the right to sufficient, safe and nutritious food. Today many families find it difficult to obtain healthy food. Farmers and fishers face: • climate change and natural disasters; • water scarcity; • rising production costs; • loss of traditional seeds; • land loss and land-rights problems; • unstable markets; • food waste; and • unhealthy food habits. Our responsibility Food is not only a personal need – it is a community responsibility. We can: • support local farmers and fishers; • protect local and traditional seeds; • choose healthy local food; • protect water and natural resources; • protect bees and other pollinators; • reduce food waste; and • build self-sufficient and healthy communities. SSU question: “What is one thing we can do to ensure that every family in our village has access to healthy food?” District-level Canva activity: Each district/partner organization should prepare and share a short Canva post. Main message: “Why do we celebrate World Food Day?” Because: • everyone has a right to food; • farmers and fishers provide our food; • local seeds and food heritage must be protected; and • if we do not protect the environment, our future food is at risk. Youth Message: “Healthy Food – Healthy Communities – Healthy Planet” “From Self-Sufficient Units towards Food Sovereignty.” 13 OCTOBER – LAND, WATER AND SEEDS FOR FOOD Theme: “Land, water and seeds for food are our future.” Regeneration means protecting soil, water, seeds and biodiversity while strengthening the food system. Main question: “Are land, water and seeds needed for food production safely available to us?” Discussion points: 1. Access to land and land rights • Do small farmers and families have land for cultivation? • What land-rights problems exist? 2. Families who have lost land • What barriers do landless/displaced families face in producing food? • How are secure land rights connected with food security? 3. Community land for food production • Is there unused community land? • Can home gardens, community farms or seed gardens be established? 4. Women’s access to land • Do women have equal opportunities to use land and participate in decisions? 5. Home gardens and community food production • Can every SSU develop a food garden? • What foods can be grown using local seeds? Main activity: “Land and the Right to Food” Community Dialogue. Round 1 – Our problem: “What is the main problem related to the land, water and seeds available for our food production?” Round 2 – Why is it important? “How does this problem affect our family food, livelihoods and future generations?” Round 3 – The change we need: “What can we do as a community to change this situation?” Final output: Record three key demands/proposals from each area. 14 OCTOBER – OUR FRUITS, OUR HERITAGE, OUR FUTURE Sub-theme: “Let us protect our local fruits – let us carry our food heritage into the future.” Many children today recognize imported or commercial fruits from shops, while they may not know traditional fruits once common in their villages. Let us turn schools into “Living Local Fruit Classrooms.” School activity: SEE → TOUCH → SMELL → TASTE → LEARN → PLANT → PROTECT Activity 1 – “What fruit is this?” Bring several local/traditional fruits to the school. Ask children to: • look at them; • touch them; • smell them; • taste them; • name them; and • identify where they grow. Activity 2 – “Our Grandparents’ Fruits” An elder or community member explains: • the local name of the fruit; • where it grows; • its nutritional value; • how it was traditionally used; • how seeds were obtained; and • how the tree was protected. Question: “Can you remember a fruit your grandparents ate that you have never eaten?” Activity 3 – “One Child – One Plant” Where possible, give each child a local fruit plant or seed. Promise: “I will care for this plant, observe how it grows, share its fruits and seeds with the next generation.” Activity 4 – “My Local Fruit” Children draw a picture or write a short note. Title: “This is the local fruit I want to protect.” The best creations can be displayed at school. Activity 5 – Traditional Food Knowledge Ask children: “Has your family taught you a traditional food?” Give children an opportunity to share family food knowledge in class. With permission, this information can contribute to the PA “Traditional Food Knowledge Conservation” programme. 15 OCTOBER – INTERNATIONAL DAY OF RURAL WOMEN / EL NIÑO Theme: El Niño – possible impacts on our food, water and livelihoods. Main objectives: Explain simply what El Niño is, discuss how it can affect communities, and identify how we can prepare. Activities: • explain El Niño simply; • discuss farmers’, fishers’, rural women’s and community members’ experiences; • identify possible impacts on water, food production, fisheries and livelihoods; • identify household and community preparedness actions; • discuss suitable crops under changing rainfall and water conditions; • promote water-saving methods; • introduce soil-conservation and moisture-retention methods; • inform communities through a simple leaflet; and • collect proposals for future climate-resilience work. Main activity – 2-minute El Niño video Each district PA/NAFSO partner organization or SSU group can produce and share a short video. The video should answer: 1. What is El Niño? 2. What impact could it have in our area? 3. What experience do our farmers/fishers have? 4. What is one practical action we can take? Closing message: “Climate is changing – let us be prepared. Protect water – protect soil – protect seeds – protect food.” 16 OCTOBER 2026 – WORLD FOOD DAY Theme: “Healthy Food, Healthy Communities, Healthy Planet” Action Theme: REGENERATION Central Message: “Let us protect our food, our traditional knowledge, our land, water and biodiversity—and regenerate healthy communities together.” 1. WHY REGENERATION? Today the food system faces challenges including soil degradation, water pollution, loss of local seeds, declining biodiversity, loss of traditional food culture, and impacts on the livelihoods of small farmers and fishers. Regeneration is not only about protecting what we have. It means: • restoring soil fertility; • restoring clean and safe water; • conserving local seeds; • strengthening biodiversity; • promoting healthy food; • strengthening community relationships; and • recognizing farmers’ and fishers’ knowledge and rights. It is a process of restoring the Earth while producing food. 2. SELF-SUFFICIENT UNITS – THE STARTING POINT FOR REGENERATION SSUs of the Praja Abhilasha Network can become practical foundations for regenerative food systems. An SSU is not merely a home garden or cultivation plot. It is a community space that brings together: food + knowledge + environment + livelihoods + cooperation. Within our SSUs: • protect local seeds; • practise chemical-free/low-chemical food production; • revive local and traditional foods; • protect bees and pollinators; • protect water; • increase trees and biodiversity; • compost organic waste; and • pass farmers’ and fishers’ knowledge from generation to generation. 3. LEARN – Education and Mobilisation Make the World Food Day programme educational and participatory. Ask the community three questions: 1. What is healthy food? 2. How do we build a healthy community? 3. What should we do to keep our environment healthy? Then show the connection: Healthy Food → Healthy People → Strong Communities → Healthy Environment → Healthy Planet. 4. SHARE – Seeds and Knowledge Hold short community conversations with elders, farmers, fishers and women. Ask: • What foods did we eat 20–30 years ago that children do not know today? • What local seeds are disappearing? • What are the most nutritious local foods in our area? • What traditional food knowledge should be passed to children? • What resources do we have that can be used for community food production? With permission, collect this knowledge through videos, photographs and short notes. PA Traditional Food Knowledge: Develop this step by step as a programme to conserve community traditional food knowledge for future generations. 5. GROW – Grow and Regenerate Connect Regeneration with a practical action. Every SSU should choose at least one: • conserve one local seed variety; • start one new food garden; • establish a bee box/bee-friendly habitat; • start one composting unit; • plant one local tree or food crop; or • begin one water-conservation action. Traditional Seeds + Beekeeping Boxes Where possible, distribute local seeds and bee boxes during World Food Day activities. Do not only distribute them: provide a short orientation on how they should be used and protected for the next generation. 6. EAT TOGETHER – Share Food Theme: “Our Food – Our Culture – Our Togetherness” Organize a Solidarity Lunch during World Food Day. Each area should introduce around 10 local/traditional foods, according to what is available. Examples: • yams; • local grains; • leafy vegetables; • coconut-based foods; • local fruits; and • traditional vegetables and foods. Where possible, participating families can bring a traditional food prepared in their area. By sharing food, we are not sharing food alone. We share knowledge. We share culture. We share brotherhood and solidarity. 7. COMMIT – Make a Commitment At the end of the programme, each participant makes one commitment: “This year I will take one action to regenerate our food system.” Possible commitments: ☐ protect a local seed; ☐ start a home garden; ☐ reduce chemical use; ☐ prevent food waste; ☐ teach a child a traditional food; ☐ protect bees and biodiversity; ☐ protect water; or ☐ connect another family with an SSU activity. “Regeneration begins with us.” Let us protect: our food, our knowledge, our land and water, our biodiversity, and our communities. Healthy Food – Healthy Communities – Healthy Planet 17 OCTOBER – INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ERADICATION OF POVERTY AND FARMERS’ DAY Beruwala, Kalutara District Link between food insecurity and poverty: Food production, livelihoods, environmental protection and social justice must be addressed together. Proposed discussion theme: “From Self-Sufficient Units towards Food Sovereignty” “Our Food – Our Seeds – Our Future” The objective is to recognize the contribution of small-scale farmers, fishers, household food producers and communities, and to strengthen the movement from self-sufficient units towards community-based food sovereignty. Special attention will be given to: • local seeds; • traditional food systems; • environmentally friendly agriculture; • biodiversity and environmental protection; and • poverty and food insecurity. Main activities: • Farmers’ Solidarity Gathering; • Traditional Seeds and Food Exhibition; • “From Self-Sufficient Units towards Food Sovereignty” discussion; • Traditional Food and Solidarity Lunch; and • Beekeeping and Biodiversity Promotion.