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Indigenous foods, neglected and derided by many in the agro- and food industries as well as urban consumers, can be an important component in alleviating hunger, malnutrition and protecting the environment, the regional representative for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations told a symposium today. A century of globalization has reduced the number of plant species used for food and other purposes from roughly 100 000 to...

World Milk Day will be celebrated on 1 June in Thailand and many other countries in the world. Studies suggest consumption of milk and lowfat dairy products helps reduce risks of many chronic diseases and disorders, resulting in substantial better food security and nutrition as well as healthcare savings! Milk production in Asia has expanded rapidly over the last three decades with annual milk production of 70 million tonnes in 1980...

Local and indigenous foods will be on the menu of a two days meeting in Khon Kaen, Thailand. Against prevailing negative attitudes towards traditional indigenous foods – often termed food of the poor – FAO and partners are encouraging a revaluation of forgotten and neglected foods which are often largely underutilized. Through 41 presentations and 12 food exhibition stalls, scientists and experts from 38 countries will exchange experiences and identify successful examples...

The world rice harvest for 2012 is expected to surpass the strong showing of 2011 as the erratic climate conditions caused by the La Nina weather phenomenon dissipate and farmers increase their plantings, according to an initial forecast by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in its Rice Market Monitor released on Friday. Increased harvestsFAO is predicting world paddy production of 732.3 million tonnes (488.2 million tonnes...

Stagnating productivity growth of wheat, one of the two most important staple foods in Asia, threatens to create a food security crisis in the world’s most populous region, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) which co-hosted a major international conference on wheat that opened Thursday in Bangkok in collaboration with Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI). “Food security in this region depends largely on...

The renovation of the Thuan An port in Viet Nam’s Thua Thien Hue province will benefit fishers, traders and consumers in the province by improving - starting from today - the hygiene of fisheries products and enhancing the potential for more value-added marketing activities. The renovation is funded by the Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme (RFLP). Thuan An is the only fishing port among approximately 40 landing sites in Thua Thien Hue. Annually, approximately 7...

While mud crab farming based on collection from the wild has probably taken place for hundreds of years, farming of mud crabs is a relatively recent innovation, with most research and development taking place over the last few decades. A recent FAO publication showcases innovations on mud crab farming from researchers and farmers in key nations in the Asia-Pacific region where significant industry development and extension of technology have occurred...

Home to more than 60 percent of the world’s population, the Asia-Pacific region has about 65 percent of the world’s poor. In most of the countries, rural livelihoods could be improved by providing access to the right information at the right time by using mobile phone technologies. Mobile-based information services have been tried in many countries to deliver information services to agrarian communities. More people than ever before have access to mobile phones and many...

Today the Thai minister for agriculture and cooperatives and FAO signed a country programming framework for mutual cooperation and partnership to redress inequity and inclusive growth. Despite fast economic development over the past 50 years, Thailand faces serious socio-economic imbalances and uneven income and wealth distribution, which put the rural and agricultural segments of its society at a disadvantage. "For agriculture as a whole, farmers have been better off in terms of...