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In many parts of the world, including the Asia and Pacific region, agriculture is the mainstay of rural livelihoods, particularly for the most vulnerable. Investing responsibly in agriculture and food systems is essential for making sure everyone has the safe, nutritious food they need for a healthy life. However, investment in agriculture and food systems can also be risky when governance is weak or people’s rights are not respected. There is...

Government Ministers and high-level officials from nearly 40 countries are set to gather in Asia’s largest land-locked country to discuss ways and means to bring an end to hunger and improve food security across this vast continent.   Hosted by the Government of Mongolia, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will convene its Thirty-Second Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 10 –...

Per capita vegetable production in Asia and the Pacific has increased some 25 percent over the last decade. Yet, while Asian countries produce more than three-quarters of the world’s vegetables, they and other producers worldwide will need to dramatically increase their vegetable production by 47 percent to meetthe nutritional needs of a growing population which would exceed nine billion by 2050, FAO warned toda According to a UN report, with 2009 as the baseline, the population of ‘middle income’ earners in Asia and the Pacific is expected...

Countries across Asia and the Pacific have called on the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to help them collect better data and build their analytical capacity to compile food security and nutrition indicators. More than 80 delegates from 20 countries in the region, along with experts from international organizations, met in Vientiane 18-21 February 2014 to deliberate on strategies for meeting data demands for the post-2015 development agenda. Participants...

The booming world fish trade is generating more wealth than ever before, but countries must help small-scale fishers and fish farmers benefit too, FAO said today.Global fishery production from wild capture fisheries and aquaculture is expected to set a new record in 2013 at 160 million tonnes, up from 157 million tonnes the previous year, while exports will reach $136 billion, according to preliminary data published ahead of the FAO...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today announced it will convene a Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 10 – 14 March, 2014. Hosted by the Government of Mongolia, the conference will attract government ministers and high-level delegates from some 46 member countries in Asia and the Pacific. The Thirty-Second FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC), will cover a number...

An international effort has been launched to develop quality standards for key products of the multi-billion dollar spice and herb trade. The sector has been enjoying rapid growth for several decades on the back of burgeoning demand from the booming economies of Asia and elsewhere, and increased recognition of the health and culinary benefits of herbs and spices. In response to the sector's growth and the extraordinary diversity of the trade and...

Senior Officials from the Agriculture sector of the ASEAN member countries have gathered in Pattaya to discuss the critical role agriculture plays in improving nutrition and elaborate on strategies for mainstreaming nutrition in the ASEAN Integrated Food Security Framework. The main aim of the meeting is to integrate nutrition considerations into the 2nd phase of the Strategic Plan of Action on Food Security in ASEAN (2015‑2019). Greater progress can be expected if...

The spread of the H7N9 virus among poultry in live bird markets (LBM) in China's Guangxi Province has significantly increased the risk that it will progressively spread to other neighbouring countries of China, posing an increased human health risk, the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned today. The virus, which produces no detectable symptoms among infected birds, has seriously disrupted poultry production and markets in 14 provinces...

Today a team of eight UN agencies (FAO, IOM, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNIDO and WHO), coordinated by FAO, handed over a UN joint programme to the Mae Hong Son provincial government for full government ownership for continuation. The UN Joint programme is aimed at promoting livelihoods of poor villagers in Mae Hong Son province, including members of hill tribes and Myanmar migrant workers, through skills training and capacity development, natural...