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Almost 5 million pigs in Asia have now died or been culled because of the spread of African swine fever (ASF), a contagious viral disease that affects domestic and wild pigs and that was first detected in Asia one year ago this month. While not dangerous to humans, the disease causes up to 100% fatality in pigs, leading to severe economic losses to the pig sector. ASF is present in six...

The ‘Green Revolution’ that transformed agricultural production in Asia-Pacific, the world’s largest region, is alive and well but must retool to embrace climate-sensitive innovations and technologies to sustainably meet the increasingly complex demands of a nutrient-deficient world, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said today. The call was made during a special meeting to commemorate 30 years of development achievement of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation under the outstanding leadership of...

Social protection programmes and public policies are fundamental to reducing hunger, and the quality of our food - both produced and consumed - must be improved, FAO's Director-General José Graziano da Silva said today at a handover ceremony marking his last day at the UN agency's helm. Qu Dongyu from China will take office on 1 August 2019. His term will run until 31 July 2023. Graziano da Silva stressed FAO's role,...

African swine fever (ASF) has become an enormous concern in Asia with current outbreaks reaching almost 4,480 to date (see the latest reports here and here). The devastating impact after ASF emergence in the region in 2018 has serious global implications. The region accounts for at least 50% of the world’s domestic pig production (57.6% of live pig production in 2017 according to FAO STAT) and pork is one of...

The Asia-Pacific region has some of the world’s richest concentrations of earth’s biological diversity, but human activities, including the expansion of agriculture, are threatening the survival of many species and their ecosystem services, a conference on regional biodiversity mainstreaming heard today. Asia and the Pacific is home to nearly half (17 out of 36) of the world’s biodiversity hotspots but the region’s continued rapid economic development risks further erosion of that...

Obesity affecting populations of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is a health emergency and these nations need to take ownership of measures to address this worrying trend's underlying causes, said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva today. The FAO chief made the remarks to participants - including leaders of small island nations - of a SIDS-focused event on the sidelines of the High Level Political Forum 2019. The impacts of climate...

An estimated 820 million people did not have enough to eat in 2018, up from 811 million in the previous year, which is the third year of increase in a row. This underscores the immense challenge of achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030, says a new edition of the annual The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report released today. The pace of progress in...

The Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) today approved an FAO project designed to transform Pakistan’s Indus River Basin by improving agriculture and water management to make this vital food-producing region more resilient to climate change. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has provided FAO with a grant of nearly $35 million for this work, while the provincial governments of Punjab and Sindh have committed an additional $12.7 million in co-financing...

Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger has slowed in Asia and the Pacific, despite strong economic advances, and highlighting the need for concerted policy actions to tackle the increasingly complex nature of challenges ahead, representatives of FAO Member Countries heard during an event on the sidelines of the 41st Session of the FAO Conference.  "Asia has always been the biggest region for FAO, in terms of people and land...

Qu Dongyu of China was elected Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today. Qu Dongyu received a total of 108 votes out of 191 cast, constituting a majority in the first round. The election took place during the 41st session of the FAO Conference (22-29 June 2019), the highest governing body of the Organization.  Qu Dong Yu, who was born in 1963, is currently Vice Minister of...