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The region braces itself as El Niño, the notorious climate phenomenon marked by Pacific Ocean surface temperature rise, makes its presence felt. Asia-Pacific countries now could face the consequential impacts, including erratic weather patterns such as prolonged droughts, unpredictable rainfall, and extreme events like cyclones and floods. But it's not just the weather that's alarming. Disasters in the past decade have caused a staggering number of 225 million internal displacements in...

With the world’s population larger than ever, and still growing rapidly, more nutritious foods need to be produced worldwide, while also minimising the impact on the environment. The food produced for us moves along a complex value chain to reach the mouths of consumers, while providing livelihoods for many millions along the way. Many foods and agricultural products are native to a large number of countries around the world, but in...

Over 200 participants from countries across the region of Asia and the Pacific gathered in the capital of Bangladesh and via remote live streams for the FAO Regional Launch and Workshop on the Implementation of the region’s Country Projects under the One Country One Priority Product initiative (OCOP). Bangladesh hosted this event as one of five OCOP demonstration countries across the globe, having been selected to implement a project at...

The inaugural meeting was held for the Regional Organizing Group (ROG), to begin their work to coordinate and facilitate the successful and impactful implementation of the One Country One Priority Product initiative (OCOP) in the region of Asia and the Pacific (RAP). The ROG aims to work closely with the OCOP project countries in the region through their respective National Task Forces, while also supporting the OCOP Steering Committee established...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Commission have launched the first ever Soil Atlas of Asia presenting a series of annotated maps that show the diversity of soil types across Asia. The atlas compiles existing information on different soil types in easily understandable maps that cover the entire continent. The atlas aims to bridge the gap between soil science and society at large. The...

Over 122 million more people are facing hunger in the world since 2019 due to the pandemic and repeated weather shocks and conflicts, including the war in Ukraine, according to the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report published today jointly by five United Nations specialized agencies.   If trends remain as they are, the Sustainable Development Goal of ending hunger by 2030 will not be reached, the Food...

Southeast Asia attracts billions of dollars a year in investment in the food, agriculture, and forestry sectors. This investment is crucial for food security and poverty alleviation, but to generate long-term sustainable benefits, such investment needs to be responsible. This is a key message of a new handbook developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), with technical...

An area famous for using hand nets to fish for marsh clams in the Seomjingang River Estuary of the Republic of Korea is the latest site to be formally recognized as a GIAHS.  The Sonteul (hand net) Fishery System for Marsh Clam in Seomjingang River Estuary was designated during a meeting of the GIAHS Scientific Advisory Group taking place in Valencia, Spain from 4 to 7 July.  Under the flagship programme of the...

Three new sites in Asia are the latest to have been formally recognized as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), underlining the importance of the continent’s centuries-old agricultural practices in feeding the world’s growing population and combating climate change and biodiversity loss. The sites - a unique rain-fed fig growing region in Iran, an area famous for using fallen leaves as compost for agriculture in suburban Tokyo and a system breeding beef...

QU Dongyu was today re-elected to a second term as Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). In ballot by FAO member countries, Qu received a total of 168 out of 182 votes deposited. Nominated by China, Qu was the only candidate to FAO’s top position in today’s election. His new term will run from 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2027. The election took place on the...