FAO.org

World hunger is not an unavoidable disease of our age: we can and we must act upon itGazipur - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), in partnership with BRAC, has officially launched the campaign for the 1 billion hungry project. The 1 billion hungry project is a global communication campaign initiated by FAO HQs. This signature campaign offers a platform for people all around the world to...

Press Conference at ADB Auditorium Annexes 1 & 2 Wednesday, 7 July 2010The Asia and Pacific region’s food security is at risk. Already home to two-thirds of the world’s one billion hungry, the region is vulnerable to food supply fluctuations, projected increases in food demand, sustainability concerns from land and water constraints, and unfolding climate change impacts.The Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations...

Bangkok - The Investment Forum, organised by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), FAO and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) around the theme “Food for all”, will gather key stakeholders in the Asia and Pacific region to share best practices, foster greater collaboration, and promote country-driven partnership frameworks for investments in food security.The Forum will be held at the headquarters of ADB in Manila, Philippines from 7 until 9...

Vientiane - The rainy season that usually starts at the end of May in Lao PDR is this year late and has still not started in parts of the country.The drought is mainly affecting rural farmers that engage in rain-fed rice production, as no irrigation facilities are available. Usually, these farmers rely on the monsoon rains which this year have not arrived.FAO is alarmed regarding the situation and is now...

Significant changes in land or crop use to be avoidedBangkok ¬ Improvements in agricultural productivity and responsible management of natural resources in support of the biofuel sector will unlock additional benefits for farmers, industry and the environment, an FAO statement said today.Findings emerging from the FAO Bioenergy and Food Security (BEFS) Project indicate that Thailand has the means to realize the Government’s plan for the development of the biofuels industry...

The interplay between land availability, bioenergy production potential, rural development and food security, and the assessment of different bioenergy pathways present crucial areas for policy considerations, in particular for balancing trade-offs associated with bioenergy development.A research team composed of experts from FAO, the Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment – King Monkuts University of Technology Thonburi, the Office of Agricultural Economics, the Land Development Department, the Rural and Social...

Over 100 000 people so far have signed on to an international campaign to shine light on the scourge of chronic hunger / Beijing/Bangkok – Award-winning Chinese actress and FAO Goodwill Ambassador Gong Li is mad as hell, even though her new film Shanghai, co-starring John Cusak, promises to be a summer blockbuster.The star of acclaimed movie hits such as Raise the Red Lantern and Farewell My Concubine is taking...

Thimphu - While the area of forests in the Asia-Pacific region increases, levels of biodiversity are falling as large areas of primary forests continue to be lost according to FAO’s latest assessments.Forest cover in the Asia-Pacific region has risen by 14 million hectares since 2000. China, in particular, has shown remarkable progress, increasing its forest area by almost 30 million hectares in the past decade. Viet Nam, India and the...

Barguna - With support from FAO, a rural radio station for and by remote villagers will run alongside comprehensive rehabilitation support donated by the World Bank and the European Union for farmers and fishers regularly stalked by storms."People in the south need more support to rebuild their livelihood after the devastation caused by cyclones Sidr and Aila. Support in crop, fisheries and livestock sectors will be supplemented by broadcasting vital...

Participants from 12 Asian countries have agreed to move forward on concrete measures to reduce barriers to trade of organic products between them and win a growing share of global trade. The agreement was reached at a workshop held in Shanghai from 29 to 31 May under the auspices of the Global Organic Market Access (GOMA) project run jointly by FAO, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and...