Flowers bloom... The chrysanthemum pictured at right is a standard purple variety. The yellow one below blossomed after gamma irradiation of the plant's rootstock, carried out under a project of the FAO/IAEA Joint Division. See other examples here, browse the FAO/IAEA Mutant Variety Database...
Pesticides Code...
A newly revised International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides should significantly reduce the threats posed by agro-chemicals in developing countries. Get further details, read the revised Code (.pdf, 187K), see also Spotlight: Early warning on hazardous pesticides...
Livestock atlas... How many buffaloes are there in Indonesia? Where are poultry raised in Ethiopia? Where was malignant catarrhal fever discovered in cattle in Japan in 2001? Answers to these and many, many other questions are now just a mouse-click away. See our new Global livestock production and health atlas...
Nutrient mining... Current methodologies for measuring soil nutrient depletion are inadequate. In the search for more reliable models for depletion assessment, our Land and Water Development Division is hosting an email conference to share ideas and experiences.
Details...
Marketing manuals... Our Agricultural Support Systems Divisions has published on-line all four titles in its Marketing and Agribusiness Textbook series. The manuals can be used as core texts in teaching and for preparing short-duration management training courses. Start here...
Biotechnology... FAO is hosting until 11 December 2002 an email conference on biotechnology in the agricultural research agendas of developing countries. Details here; see also our Biotechnology web site...
Raising livestock... On-line now are two new FAO publications on animal husbandry. Mixed crop-livestock farming reviews literature on and field experiences with traditional technologies, while Livestock keeping in urban areas describes husbandry techniques and species suited to urban agriculture. These, and more are here...
Phytosanitary portal... The International Plant Protection Convention has a new web site. The International Phytosanitary Portal (IPP) will serve as both a source of official phytosanitary information and a forum for countries, regional plant protection organizations and the convention's secretariat. For now it is available in English only, but other language versions are in preparation. Take a look...
Technology assessment... FAO is participating in a consultative process, led by the World Bank, that will review risks and opportunities of using agricultural science to reduce hunger and poverty. Launched at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa in August, the process covers a broad range of issues, including organic farming, traditional plant breeding, new farming technologies and biotechnology. Details...
GMOs and geneflow... How could the transfer of genes from genetically modified (GM) to non-GM organisms affect biological diversity? That was the "million dollar" question posed in a recent FAO email conference on gene flow in crops, forest trees, fish and animals. For the latest thinking on the subject, see the conference summary...
New CD-ROMs... There are three new CD-ROMs in our Land and Water Digital Media Series. Major soils of the world includes a virtual tour of soils and landscapes and a typical soil profile for each of 30 reference soil groups. Conservation agriculture contains detailed information and literature on the subject, while Irrigation management transfer presents documents posted to an AGL email conference held in 2001. Details...
Genebank fund... FAO and the 16 centers of the Consultative Group on International Research (CGIAR) are working to establish a Global Conservation Trust to support the long-term protection of crop diversity. The effort aims at creating an endowment to provide permanent, secure and sustainable funding for crop germplasm collections around the world. Find out more...
Livestock and poverty... With funding from the UK, our Animal Production and Health Division (AGA) has launched an initiative aimed at alleviating poverty through equitable, safe and clean livestock farming. The Pro-Poor Livestock Policy Facility will foster international co-ordination in public policymaking and provide information and support to regional networks. More here, see also Spotlight: Livestock and human needs...
Water management... Our Land and Water Development Division (AGL) is hosting an email conference on Water: source of food security. The conference focuses on ways to enhance the productivity of water in agriculture, improve risk management, lower environmental costs and modernize irrigation. Findings will help FAO prepare its contribution to the third World Water Forum (Japan, March 2003). Join the conference here...
Poverty in Africa... Rising rates of hunger and poverty in many parts of Africa present an urgent challenge for policy makers and the development community. Now, using socio-economic and geographic data, plus remote sensing imagery, an FAO study has identified "poverty alleviation opportunities" in 15 farming systems of the region. Futher details here; Download the paper, Poverty alleviation and farming systems in Africa... (pdf, 233K)..
Tropical silage... Our Grasslands Group announces the Spanish version of its popular publication Silage making in the tropics. It reviews the potential of tropical silage in livestock production, with special reference to small farms. Order a copy from publications-sales@fao.org...
Rooftop vegies... FAO is promoting rooftop vegetable gardens for poor communities in the developing world's rapidly growing cities. In Senegal, for example, tomatoes, lettuce, beans and pumpkins are being cultivated in soil composed of gravel and peanut shells. Details in FAO News and highlights; see also Spotlight: Urban agriculture...
Post-harvest... Our Information Network on Postharvest Operations (INPhO) has streamlined its web site to provide faster access to some 450MB of documents, databases and images. The new site groups resources into fact sheets, an on-line library (currently totalling 220 publications) and INPhO services. Take a look...
Plant nutrition... Ready for downloading: a new set of FAO guidelines, in Spanish, on conducting on-farm plant nutrition tests and demonstrations. The publication focuses on improved soil fertilization and soil management techniques, and offers methodologies for interpreting results. Get the guidelines (1.86MB)...
Electronic forum... In preparation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (starting in Johannesburg on 26 August), FAO is sponsoring an electronic forum on sustainable agriculture and rural development. The forum aims at developing initiatives on access to resources, good agricultural practices, and fair conditions of employment in agriculture. Read thematic papers, join the forum here...
Obsolete pesticides... FAO has joined governments, NGOs and other international organizations in a new programme aimed at destroying an estimated 100,000 tonnes of obsolete, dangerous pesticides stockpiled in Africa. The continent-wide Africa Stockpiles Project (ASP) will use guidelines developed by FAO for the safe management of pesticide stocks. Get the guidelines, find out more about ASP...
Fodder success story... Lack of quality fodder during winter is a major constraint on livestock production in northern Pakistan. But a recent FAO project has shown how improved fodder crops, such as oats, lucerne, berseem, sorghum and maize, can guarantee an almost year- round fodder supply. Get the full story...
Carbon sequestration... Recently completed is an email conference on land management, food security and carbon sequestration in drylands, sponsored by our Land and Water Development Division. The conference was held under a joint programme of FAO and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. Details here...
Rural watersheds... How can governments promote an equitable sharing of costs and benefits among upstream and downstream users of water resources? For some answers, see our new web site on land-water linkages in rural watersheds. The site contains case studies from Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica and Ecuador, as well as documents from an FAO electronic workshop on the topic. Starts here...
Hindu Kush... Our Plant Production and Protection Division (AGP) announces a new publication in its series of illustrated booklets for young people on the sustainable use of natural resources. This one focuses on the Hindu Kush region of the Himalayan mountains, and follows the adventures of Nenne and Babuh as they discover its natural resources. Details here; order a copy from Caterina.Batello@fao...
Rice forum... FAO's International Rice Commission will hold its 20th session in Bangkok from 23-25 July 2002. The Commission is a forum where senior policy makers and rice specialists from 60 countries review their national rice research and development programmes. Details here. See also: Spotlight: Big money in "speciality rices"...
Organic recycling... Compost made from on-farm waste materials improves soil fertility and health. But many farmers are unaware of promising new technologies that make the best use of organic recycling opportunities. Our Land and Water Division is currently sponsoring an email conference to promote "rapid composting" methods, which produce larger quantities of compost on small pieces of land. Find out more...
Livestock web site... The web site of our Animal Health and Production Division (AGA) is now available in French and Spanish, and versions in Arabic and Chinese will be posted soon. The site carries details of the latest AGA publications and meetings, and documents on topics such as genetics, animal health and nutrition, feed safety, poverty alleviation and production systems. Take a look...
Afghanistan... FAO is running two initiatives to fight poverty and improve nutrition among the rural poor, especially women, in Afghanistan. Working with local farmers, it has set up village milk collection centers and started poultry production for women. Details here...
Forage profiles... Our database on pasture and forage resources worldwide now contains profiles of 45 countries. The latest additions are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Hungary, Niger, Paraguay, Russia, South Africa, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen. To add to the database, see our guidelines here...
World Food Summit: five years later. FAO hosts in Rome from 10-13 June 2002 a global meeting to review progress towards ending hunger [Details]. To mark the event, AG21 highlights action by FAO's Agriculture Department for sustainable food production. The articles listed below are also available as fact sheets in PDF format.
In praise of family poultry
Backyard- and free-range birds account for as much as 70% of total poultry production in low-income, food-deficit countries
Irrigation in the Near East With less
than 2% of the world's fresh water supply, the region's food
security depends on getting "more crops per drop"
Urban food security In the "century of cities", a major challenge will be providing food for urban inhabitants, especially the poor
New animal disease threats A global early warning system would help control the current upsurge in epizootic emergencies
World livestock trade Claims that developing countries stand to lose from economic globalization have "probably been exaggerated", says a new FAO discussion paper
Sweet sorghum in China This "camel among crops" could be the key to agricultural development in areas affected by aridity and saline soils
New strategy for cassava The aim is to spur rural industrial development and boost incomes for producers, processors and traders
A Treaty on plant genetic resources
The historic accord represents a legally-binding, international commitment to improvement of the world's key food crops
Agribusiness and small farmers
Well managed contract farming contributes to both increased income for producers and higher profitability for "sponsors"
Toward "safe trade" At age 50, the International Plant Protection Convention adapts to new challenges in the era of globalization
Oil palm in western Kenya A new hybrid tree will help reduce the country's edible oil deficit and provide a badly needed source of extra income for farmers
Tick control in the Caribbean An FAO programme to eradicate tropical Bont tick is helping revive the livestock industry, reduce beef imports and enhance food security
Hazardous pesticides
The Rotterdam Convention aims to create a shared responsibility between countries that export and import toxic agro-chemicals
Global farming systems FAO's new "agricultural atlas" will help the World Bank target investment to relieve hunger and rural poverty
Biodiversity... A new FAO web site shows how biological diversity benefits agricultural ecosystems and vice-versa. It contains fact sheets on ecosystems, genetic resources and socio-economics, a guide to key codes and conventions related to agrobiodiversity, an on-line library and a list of FAO contact points. Starts here...
Greenhouse gases... The oxidation of nitrogen fertilizer is a known contributor to the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Now, a study by our Land and Water Development Division provides global estimates of annual emissions of nitrous oxide and nitric oxide, and volatilization losses of ammonia, from crop and grasslands. Download Global estimates of gaseous emissions from agricultural land (PDF, 433K)...
Animal feed... An FAO workshop in Thailand this month is developing codes of practice on the use of animal by-products as proteins in livestock feed. Organized with the International Feed Industry Federation, the workshop will also examine food safety issues, alternative protein sources, and the implications of genetically modified organisms. More...
Conservation technology... Our Agricultural Support Systems Division announces a new database on technology for conservation agriculture. The database includes commercially available equipment for drilling seed, handling weeds and crop residues, and spraying herbicide on small-scale, no-tillage farms. Start searching...
East African grasslands... FAO and UNEP have published Savannah lifestyles, one of a series of illustrated booklets for young people on the sustainable use of natural resources. The booklet, which offers insights into East African grassland management, is accompanied by a teacher's guide. View the cover here; order your copy from Caterina.Batello@fao.org...
Pesticide sprayers... Our Agricultural Engineering Branch has published new guidelines on the safe use of pesticides in agriculture. The guidelines cover minimum requirements, technical standards and test procedures for pesticide sprayers, as well as certification, licensing and inspection procedures, training schemes for equipment operators, and good practice in ground and aerial spraying. Start here...
Trends in agriculture... Agriculture in the 21st century will focus increasingly on adapting modern technologies to local farming systems, needs and environments. That was one future trend identified by the FAO Agriculture Department's Assistant Director-General in a speech to the OECD Working Group on Pesticides. The full speech is here (PDF, 22K)...
Urban food supply... FAO sponsors a workshop on "Feeding East African cities" in Addis Ababa on 7-9 May 2002. Experts from 10 countries will identify causes of food insecurity in the region's urban centres, and prepare a plan to help city and local authorities improve the efficiency of systems for food supply and distribution. See Spotlight: Urban food marketing...
New web site... Our Farm Management and Production Economics Service (AGSP) works to improve farm profitability and productivity through farming systems development, farm/community planning and farm-level economic analysis. Find out more about AGSP from its new-look web site, starting here...
Animal production, health... Some 40 papers have been added to our on-line Animal production and health library. They cover everything from village chicken production systems in rural Africa and camel milk processing to BSE diagnosis, tree foliage in ruminant nutrition, and slaughterhouse sanitation. Get the full list (some 150 publications) right now...
FAO-BiotechNews... FAO has launched an email list to keep decision-makers informed of developments in agricultural biotechnology. To subscribe, send an e-mail to mailserv@mailserv.fao.org with the subject field blank and the following text message: subscribe FAO-BiotechNews-L. See also our Biotechnology web site...
Wood packaging... At its fourth session, held in Rome on 11-15 March 2002, the Interim Commission for Phytosanitary Measures of the International Plant Protection Convention adopted new guidelines for regulating wood packaging material in international trade. See Spotlight: LMOs, alien species and "safe trade"...
Small farmer diversification... From our Agricultural Support Systems Division comes a new series of publications on strategies for diversifying small farm production. Already available are guides on aquaculture, family poultry, hides and skins, village technologies and apiculture. Coming soon: sericulture, meat processing, dairying, small-scale forestry and vegetable gardening. For details contact Peter.Steele@fao.org...
Conservation agriculture... Now available: The economics of conservation agriculture, a new FAO study analysing financial and non-financial factors that determine the adoption and success of conservation agriculture (CA) at farm, national and global levels. Download the publication here (PDF, 845K); for an overview of CA, see Spotlight: Conservation agriculture...
Water training... Looking for a training course in irrigation, drainage or flood control? For up-to-date information on courses available worldwide, consult our Land and Water Development Division's new, online database. It contains details of 125 courses in 17 countries (including course content, duration, target group and conditions for admission). To the database...
Fertilizer retailing... FAO and the International Fertilizer Industry Association have updated their guide for fertilizer retailers in developing countries. Presented in a question-and-answer format, the guide covers fertilizer economics, management, storage and sale. For now, it is available in French only. Download the publication here (PDF, 672K)...
World Food Summit+5... FAO hosts on 10-13 June 2002 a global meeting to review progress towards ending hunger. The meeting, the "World Food Summit: five years later", will assess progress made since the 1996 World Food Summit. See our Spotlight articles on food security, find out more about the meeting here...
Wholesale markets... In developed countries, wholesale produce markets are losing business to vertically integrated hypermarkets. But in much of the developing world, they remain the most effective marketing outlet for small farmers. That was the thrust of an FAO paper presented at a recent congress. Get the paper (PDF, 96K)...
Land use planning... There's a new title in our Land and Water Digital Media Series: AEZWIN, a tool for agro-ecological zoning analysis at national and subnational levels. It includes models for assessing land suitability and productivity, and generates various scenarios of land use. For a copy of the CD-ROM, contact wolfgang.prante@fao.org. Get the full list of CD-ROM titles here...
Livestock policy... Our Animal Production and Health Division publishes online six discussion papers from its new Livestock Policy series. The papers cover such topics as milk production in Kenya, periurban livestock in Latin America, and trends in the international livestock trade. Start here...
Photo library... Our Land and Water Development Division has published an on-line Photo Library containing more than 600 images of land management systems and conservation agriculture. The library has been conceived for use by extension agents, farmers' groups, NGOs and training centres. Take a look...
Sweet sorghum... FAO is helping China introduce sweet sorghum production on 5,000 sq km of farmland in the country's arid western regions. Besides boosting farmers' incomes, the crop will provide China with a low-cost source of sugar and ethanol. More about Sorghum bicolor...
Cassava production... FAO says global cassava production will grow steadily over the next five
years, with Africa leading the way. Five countries - Brazil, the Democratic Republic of
the Congo, Indonesia, Nigeria and Thailand - account for almost 70% of
world cassava output. Details here, see also Spotlight: A new strategy for cassava...
Fertilizer forecasts... Our Land and Water Development Division has updated its forecasts of fertilizer use in world agriculture. Its latest report estimates supply and demand for nitrogen, phosphate and potash fertilizers from 2001 to 2006. The report is here (PDF, 155K)...
More good news... FAO reports that desert locusts are breeding in northwest Africa but their numbers are well below threatening levels. Although the insects will soon appear along the Red Sea coast, no significant developments are expected. The latest report...
Water management... We announce a new AG web site on participatory training and extension aimed at improving farmers' skills in water management. The site includes a farmer training manual, guidelines for extension staff and planners, and other support materials. Start here, or order the complete package on CD-ROM from farmer-water-training@fao.org...