Tackling food loss and waste from the farm to the table and beyond
Original author: FAO On the occasion of the fifth International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu emphasized the urgent need to tackle food loss and waste to improve food security, protect the environment, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, over 13% of food is lost after harvest, while 19% […]
International Day of Potato | 30 May
The potato, a crop of immense global significance, contributes to key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as zero hunger, sustainable agriculture, and economic growth. Celebrated on May 30th, the International Day of Potato recognizes its vital role in food security, nutrition, and livelihoods worldwide. Originating in the Andes, the potato has sustained civilizations, supported urbanization, […]
With vast arable lands, why is Africa dependent on imported grain?
Despite having vast amounts of arable land, nutritious indigenous crops and a booming agricultural sector, Africa still imports most of its grain. The Russian army’s blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports and the ripple effects of Western sanctions against Moscow have raised international food and fuel prices, leaving millions of Africans facing an «unprecedented food emergency» this year, the World Food […]
UN head declares ‘ocean emergency’ as global leaders gather in Lisbon
António Guterres says the world must turn the tide of rising sea levels, ocean heating, acidification and plastics pollution. The UN secretary general has declared that the world is in the middle of an “ocean emergency”, and urged governments to do more to restore ocean health. Speaking at the opening of the UN ocean conference in […]
Afghanistan: FAO appeals to urgently save rural livelihoods
The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, today called for urgent assistance to help save Afghanistan’s next wheat harvest, keep life-sustaining farm animals alive, and avoid a deterioration of the country’s already severe humanitarian crises. FAO is seeking $36 million to speed up its support to Afghan […]
FAO report maps insights from and threats to Indigenous Peoples’ food Systems
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), together with the Alliance of Bioversity International and The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) released a new study identifying hundreds of diverse plant and animal species that Indigenous Peoples around the world depend on and care for to generate food sustainably and enhance biodiversity – and […]
FAO launches the UN’s International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021
The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, today [15 December 2020] launched the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021 (IYFV) with an appeal to improve healthy and sustainable food production through innovation and technology and to reduce food loss and waste. Proclaimed at the 74th session the UN General Assembly, […]
Food loss and waste ‘an ethical outrage’, UN chief says on International Day
Last year, the UN General Assembly designated 29 September as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste Reduction, recognizing the fundamental role that sustainable food production plays in promoting food security and nutrition and highlighting the essential need to reduce food loss and waste. In addition, with the COVID-19 pandemic underlining the fragility of food systems, […]
How Peru’s potato museum could stave off world food crisis
With a climate changing faster than most crops can adapt and food security under threat around the world, scientists have found hope in a living museum dedicated to a staple eaten by millions daily: the humble potato. High in the Peruvian Andes, agronomists are looking to the ancestral knowledge of farmers to identify genetic strains […]
Sites in Iran, Morocco and Spain recognized as important for the world’s agricultural heritage
A traditional saffron cultivation system in Iran, an argan-based agro-pastoral system in Morocco, and an ancient olive trees system in Spain today won recognition from FAO as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS). All the sites feature unique ways to produce nutritious foods and/or spices using traditional knowledge and skills while improving local people’s livelihoods and preserving […]
FAO: Hunger increases in the world for the third consecutive year
For the third consecutive year, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced an increase in the number of people suffering from hunger. In the case of Latin America and the Caribbean, 39,3 million people live undernourished in the region, an increase of 400 000 people since 2016. According to the State of Food […]
Land grabbing: An urgent issue for indigenous peoples around the world
About 2.5 billion people around the globe, including 370 million indigenous people, depend on land and natural resources that are held, used, and managed collectively. This means that one third of the world’s population is vulnerable to dispossession by more powerful actors. As stated by the “Land Rights Now” campaign, indigenous peoples protect more than […]
