FAO.org

The massive volcanic eruption and tsunami in Tonga last month, followed by last week’s earthquake and aftershocks, have highlighted the vulnerability of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), a global meeting focused on the countries and convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has heard. In opening remarks at the Global SIDS Solutions Dialogue, FAO’s Chief Economist, Máximo Torero Cullen, underscored “the severe challenge that SIDS face in moving...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today welcomed a groundbreaking $65 million contribution from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to boost food security and support livelihoods of the most vulnerable rural communities in Afghanistan. The ADB support represents a significant contribution to FAO’s $200 million crisis response programme for 2022 – and beyond – to raise local food production, protect livestock, increase rural incomes and improve the food...

With the full picture of damage and needs after Tonga’s massive volcanic eruption and tsunami only gradually emerging, what is already clear is that the stakes could not be higher for the farmers and fishers of the South Pacific island nation, living in one of the world’s most disaster-prone regions. With roughly 86 percent of Tongans engaged in agriculture,  FAO is extremely concerned about the potential impacts across all agriculture sectors, including fisheries,...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has signed an agreement with the Chinese Government officially launching Phase III of the FAO-China South-South Cooperation (SSC) Programme. The General Agreement was signed by the Director-General of FAO, QU Dongyu and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China,TANG Renjian. It followed the announcement by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September 2020 of an additional $50...

The state of food security and nutrition in Asia and the Pacific has worsened, as more than 375 million people in the region faced hunger in 2020, an increase of 54 million over the previous year, according to a joint report just published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). While hunger has increased, so too has inadequate access to...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today welcomed approval from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for four FAO-led projects in eight countries, totalling more than $13.6 million in funding.  The decision was made during the 61st Meeting of the GEF Council, its main governing body, held virtually. The latest projects will address urgent environmental challenges - such as land degradation and soil erosion, biodiversity loss, unsustainable fishing, and food...

Cases of avian influenza are rising globally, with 272 additional events of outbreaks in birds recorded worldwide by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in little more than a month. The FAO data records the increase since 27 October 2021. Increased avian influenza activity has been seen in the Asia-Pacific region, but also in Africa and Europe during the past year and it is suspected that wild...

The FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific has supported several activities to raise awareness on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and on the need to use antimicrobials prudently among different audiences of Asia and the Pacific to mark World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW). The WAAW, observed in some 150 countries every 18-24 November, highlights the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, and is one of the United Nations’ most important...

Rome – In 2022, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) must make “extraordinary” efforts to achieve tangible on-the-ground progress towards reducing hunger, making agrifood systems more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable, and to ultimately achieve the Four Betters – Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better Life for all – Director-General QU Dongyu told the FAO Council today. “We need extraordinary thinking, ways of doing...

The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, today urged all stakeholders to scale up global response to fall armyworm, as the invasive pest continues to spread rapidly to new countries and territories, causing serious damage to food production and affecting millions of farmers across the globe. He spoke at the 5th Steering Committee Meeting on Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control. In 2016,...