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FAO/UNDP launches a year-long campaign against hunger in Asia PacificBangkok – Hunger remains one of the biggest challenges facing Asia and the Pacific. Against the backdrop of soaring prices for food – in particular rice – a new hunger campaign aims to create a groundswell for policy and structural reforms together with action, FAO and UNDP said today.In Asia and the Pacific, chronic hunger is not an issue of food...

Poor farming and fishing communities need urgent assistance. Bangkok - The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is mounting this week the first damage and needs assessment mission into Myanmar's fishing sector, believed to be hit worse by cyclone Nargis than during the 2004 tsunami.The five most affected states are considered the country's food basket, producing surpluses of fish, rice and pork for other parts of Myanmar, and overall food...

Cyclone Nargis has affected the same areas in the Ayeyarwady division which were hit by the 2004 tsunami claiming lives and resulting in the displacement of thousands of people. This time around, the impact is believed to be far more severe.The population of the Ayeyarwady division (approximately 6.5 million or 12 percent of the national population) basically live from exploiting the rich natural resources both within the delta areas and...

The cyclone hit 5 states which are predominantly agricultural societies. Rural poor are the most hit.Damage to annual crops is expected, in particular on rice, oil palm and rubber plantation.The 5 states produce 65 percent of the countries rice, and have about 50 percent of all irrigated areas. There is risk that stored rice seeds kept by farmers - usually under poor storage facilities - might be affected by the...

Capacity building is at the heart of FAO's mandate. The newly published FAO Capacity Building Portal contributes to achieving FAO's vision to strengthen the national capacities of its member states to achieve their goals in food security and agricultural development. The Portal highlights FAO's:+ Learning Resources, both corporate and specialized collections.+ Learning Services, searchable by keyword and topic and providing access to FAO's Fellowships/Funding Sources database.+ Featured Sites highlighting specific...

Based on the rice crop calendar, Cyclone Nargis which just hit Myanmar may have affected the 2007 secondary paddy crops, which are normally harvested between April and June. However, without a proper assessment of crop damage, it is difficult to gauge how the final 2007 paddy production will be impacted.FAO estimate of 2007 production for the country now stands at 30.02 million tonnes (18.9 million tonnes, milled rice equivalent), down...

Bangkok - Since 2005, developing countries have overtaken the developed world as the main potato growers, benefiting from major scientific discoveries over the last decades which have greatly simplified the introduction of improved varieties and dramatically expanded the area under potato cultivation, the International Potato Center (CIP) said today in Bangkok.Potatos are an overlooked opportunity for food security and income generation in Asia, the CIP statement added.The potato is now...

Hanoi - Forest conservation in Asia and the Pacific cannot succeed without the direct involvement of local people, a gathering of the region’s forest managers concluded today in Hanoi.Throughout the region, there are millions of indigenous and rural people dependent on forests for their basic daily needs."The remaining pockets of intact tropical forests in Asia and the Pacific overlap almost perfectly with the geographical distribution of poverty," said Sunita Narain,...

Hanoi - Trees grow for hundreds of years, but the forestry sector needs to change immediately if it is to deal effectively with the rapid changes occurring in modern society. Climate change, skyrocketing costs of food and fuel, persistent poverty and escalating demands for forest products are bringing unprecedented challenges to the forestry sector in Asia and the Pacific, according to leading forestry experts."What we do – or don’t do...

Asia-Pacific Forestry Week: Forestry in a changing worldHanoi - The world’s forests, and the strategies that are adopted to protect and manage them, are at a crossroads. Never before have the stakes been so high – we either collectively develop workable strategies – or suffer the consequences, FAO said today in underpinning the role of the first Asia-Pacific Forestry Week.The most pressing challenges facing the Asia-Pacific forests go far beyond...