FAO.org

This morning, His Excellency the President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, Dr José Ramos-Horta, inaugurated the National Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) in Caicoli, Dili. The Laboratory, a Bio-Safety Level 2 modular infrastructure, represents the major physical output of the Biosecurity Strengthening Project (BSP) implemented by FAO in partnership with the National Directorate of Livestock and Veterinary Services of MAF, with generous funding from Australia. Since...

AFC Acting President Zhang Jilong has affirmed that the exceptional power of Asian football is being mobilised to eradicate food insecurity throughout Asia. Speaking in his welcoming remarks during the handover of over US$400 000 in contribution to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) at AFC House here on Friday, Zhang said: "Today is a special day for AFC as we take another giant step towards fulfilling our social obligations. "AFC...

(Asian Football Confederation / Food and Agriculture Organization) - The global fight against hunger will receive yet another boost when the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) provides over $400 000 to the Food and Agriculture Organization for TeleFood projects. The donation is part of the Asian football governing body’s contribution towards the campaign to fight hunger. The cheque will be presented to Hiroyuki Konuma, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia...

The  floods that struck Pakistan starting in July 2010 represented one of the most devastating natural disasters of our times, submerging  almost one-fifth of the country - an area the size of Greece - killing 2000 people, affecting 20 million and destroying 1.6 million homes. Damage to agriculture - the basic livelihood for 80 percent of the affected population - was estimated at more than $5.1 billion, including the loss of...

Over 150 small-scale fishers in Sri Lanka’s Puttalam district will benefit from safety equipment distributed by the FAO Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme for South and Southeast Asia, (RFLP), an initiative funded by the Kingdom of Spain. The equipment - which includes GPS systems, life rings, first aid kits, life jackets and VHF radios - was handed over to fishers at a ceremony held today at the Coastal Environmental Centre in Kandakuliya,...

The Forest Management Bureau (FMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines is awarded the prestigious Edouard Saouma Award for Excellence today by FAO at their headquarters in Rome, Italy, for outstanding achievements in forest restoration implementing the Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) project. Funded by the Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) of FAO with a total budget of just US$253 000, the initiative has changed the...

Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented through the World Bank with FAO technical assistance, the inter-country Livestock waste management project - implemented by China, Thailand and Viet Nam - addresses negative environmental impacts of rapidly increasing livestock production. Project achievements The Livestock waste management in East Asia project was conceived and implemented with the aim of putting the brakes on environmental pollution caused by livestock waste. Collaborators of this project worked...

Timor-Leste has joined the Asia Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC) to become the 21st member of the regional fisheries advisory and consultative body.APFIC is an inter-governmental Regional Fishery Body which works towards improvement, understanding, awareness and cooperation in fisheries/aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region. Simon Funge-Smith, Secretary of APFIC and Senior Fisheries Officer at the Food and Agriculture Organization Regional Office for Asia Pacific said, “By joining the Asia Pacific Fishery Commission Timor...

As we prepare to recognize that rinderpest, a killer disease also known as cattle plague, has finally been eradicated from live animals in every last country and territory, we are pressed to develop post-eradication strategies which include surveillance, training and contingency planning, an FAO statement said today. Rinderpest has been known, and dreaded, for many millennia. Wherever it has occurred, the deadly animal disease has killed countless millions of cattle, buffalo,...