World Food Day 2025: Precision Agriculture for a Better Future

By Giannis Fyrogenis, Project Manager at reframe.food

World Food Day 2025, celebrated on 16 October, marks the 80th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The official theme, “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future,” calls for countries, businesses, and citizens to work together to transform agrifood systems so everyone can access healthy diets while living in harmony with the planet. The theme is rooted in FAO’s “Four Betters”: better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life.

The vision of the Four Betters is ambitious. Better production promotes efficient and inclusive food supply chains and encourages sustainable agriculture, increasing productivity while nurturing healthy ecosystems. Better nutrition seeks to end hunger and improve diets. A better environment emphasises protecting terrestrial and marine ecosystems and combating climate change through sustainable practices. A better life focuses on social equity, including higher incomes for small‑scale producers and secure land rights for rural communities. These pillars are designed to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.

The EU’s Farm to Fork strategy aligns with this vision. It proposes cutting the use and risk of chemical pesticides by 50 % and reducing fertiliser use by at least 20 % by 2030 to protect soils, water, and public health. Meeting such targets while keeping farmers economically viable is challenging, as recent farmer protests across Europe have shown.

Smart Droplets, a project funded under Horizon Europe, demonstrates how innovation can help. The project integrates autonomous tractors, direct injection sprayers, AI‑driven digital twins, and data analytics to translate agronomic data into precise spraying commands. The goal is to reduce pesticide and fertiliser use, increase yields and lower costs, directly supporting the EU’s environmental targets and FAO’s vision. Pilots in Lithuanian wheat fields and Spanish apple orchards use the technology to optimise weed control, fertilisation, and disease management. Early demonstrations have shown that autonomous tractors and intelligent sprayers can perform field tasks with high precision, reduce chemical input,s and improve workers’ safety.