Healthy lifestyles and entrepreneurial minds in Sri Lanka
Before the school bell rings announcing the start of lessons at the Senkadagala School in Kandy, central Sri Lanka, its students have already begun their lessons in their school garden. Past its walls adorned with plastic bottles recycled as make-shift pots for brightly coloured plants, some push around wheelbarrows, ready to begin pruning, weeding and harvesting fruits and vegetables that are destined for the students’ meals.
Innovating tradition to protect ancient forests in Papua New Guinea
Supporting an Indigenous Peoples’ community to monitor forests with satellites and tablets. Besta Pulum cannot contain his excitement about the tablet computer he is holding in his hands. “When I was young, I never saw that kind of computer. Now I’m seeing it; I didn’t sleep [from excitement],” says the community chief, who reckons his age at around 60.
In the northwest of Papua New Guinea, a remarkable transformation unfolds in Osima, a remote village nestled within the lush landscapes of the Bewani-Wutung-Onei Local Level Government, Green-Vanimo District, in the West Sepik Province. This community, a home to 3,000 inhabitants and a mere three-hour drive from the West Sepik provincial capital Vanimo, is emerging as a symbol of hope and economic rejuvenation.
Crafting a new livelihood in Afghanistan
Wire weaving leads one Afghan woman to improve her family's economic situation. Nestled under the looming ruins of the ancient Nariman fortress, the village of Cheshma Shirin (meaning “Sweet Source” in Dari) is home to Fatema and her three children. Like most of the other 250 inhabitants of this village, located 30 kilometres from the provincial capital Qala-e Naw, they belong to the Sadat tribe, a minority community in Afghanistan.
Plugging the livelihood gap and creating alternatives to migration in rural Nepal
It was 2022, and Bipana Bishwakarma’s husband, Bishal, had recently lost his job working in an aluminium factory in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic. While he looked for work, first returning to their village and then going back to Malaysia, Bipana started contemplating ways that she too could financially support her family in her district of Rautahat, which lies 180 kilometres southeast of the capital, Kathmandu.
One couple kept millet production alive; now the FAO GIAHS programme is hoping to spread it further. The Steep Slope Agriculture System in Nishi-Awa, Japan was designated a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 2018. These remarkable agricultural fields host indigenous crops, like finger millets, important for healthy diets and biodiversity.
Connecting cocoa farmers in remote Papua New Guinea with global markets
Cocoa producers forge new links and improve selling prices. From the hamlets where Sperian Kapia and his fellow cocoa farmers live by the massive Sepik River, it takes more than four hours by boat and truck through the rugged, dense rainforest of the Pacific Island state of Papua New Guinea to get to Wewak, the nearest town of about 25 000 people.
From staunch opponent to leading champion of Conservation Agriculture in Timor-Leste
One farmer changes his mind and transforms his land. Joaquim Caldas took some serious convincing about the idea of adopting Conservation Agriculture (CA). But now, the 67-year-old farmer from the village of Uma Boco, near the north coast of Timor-Leste, is one of the most enthusiastic champions of the approach.
Pinpointing and tackling food loss hotspots in micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises
Leading the way to curbing food loss in Thailand. Packed with micronutrients and vitamins, the germinated brown rice produced by the Ban Lao community-run enterprise in northeastern Thailand’s Sakon Nakhon province has long been popular with health-conscious consumers. Getting its production to turn out right used to be a tricky business, however. The processing of this specialty rice product involves soaking and fermentation or germination overnight, followed by steaming to cook the grain before drying it.
The Philippines is blessed with rich natural resources, forests being one of the most important. For Filipinos, forests and forestlands provide a wide array of economic and social benefits.
By Lionel Dabbadie, FAO Representative in the Philippines.
Towards healthier and more nutritious diets in Pacific Small Island Developing States
Five new approaches and innovations that can help promote quality diets. The waters that surround the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the Pacific are home to remarkable marine ecosystems. The fish and other marine species they host are deeply intertwined with many Pacific peoples’ cultures, livelihoods and food.
Anticipatory action... in action in Viet Nam
The race to mitigate the impact of Typhoon Noru on lives and livelihoods. At first, there didn't seem to be much reason for concern. By the end of it, the trail of destruction had left few homes, crops and livestock unscathed.
Smallholder farmers are important food producers globally. However, they often struggle to meet international standards on trade and related plant health requirements. Bridging the gap between smallholder farms and the global market is now more important than ever.
Social forestry creates lush landscapes in place of barren land in Indonesia
Communities take on the management of their forests, reversing deforestation and securing livelihoods. FAO estimates that the country lost an average of 580 000 hectares of forest per year from 2000 to 2010. This loss not only threatened the country’s biodiversity but also the livelihoods of communities. Around 40 million Indonesians rely on forests to make their living.
Moving from city life to farm life and not looking back
Young people in Bhutan find new careers in agriculture after COVID-19. Tek Bahadur Wakley saw himself as a city dweller. He worked with a tourism company in the city of Paro in the western part of Bhutan and earned a decent salary that provided for his family's needs. He had grown up with his parents as farmers, but he wanted a different life from the back-breaking work he saw his parents do.
Community seed banks in India help diversify crops to revive biodiversity and improve nutrition. Once again, it hasn’t rained enough in the monsoon season in Bihar, an eastern state of India. The wells have gone dry, and 27-year-old Pudi Soren has to travel to the riverside to grow crops, such as chickpeas and rice, that provide necessary calories and sustenance in the winter months.
Conservation agriculture equips Indonesian farmers to turnaround poor-quality, marginal land
Better agricultural techniques help fight erosion and flooding, while increasing yields and income. What is the link between a university education and manure? Conservation agriculture, say Seferinus We’e and Krensensiana Nasa, a farming couple on the bucolic eastern Indonesian island of Flores.
Sometimes soils need doctors too
FAO’s Global Soil Doctors Programme trains farmers to diagnose and heal soils
A visit to the doctor often begins with a stethoscope to assess the heart and lungs because before you treat someone, you need to know how they are. Similarly, to guarantee healthy soils for sustainable agriculture and food production, you first need to know their condition.
Broadening diets and growing opportunities in Mongolia
FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme supports climate-resilient agriculture in the heart of a landlocked country. Located in Central Asia, Mongolia is the most sparsely populated fully sovereign country in the world. Landlocked and far from the sea, the vast grazing lands and grassy steppe of Mongolia have for centuries been a heartland of nomadic animal husbandry. About 73 percent of agricultural land is pastureland used for raising livestock.
Women’s empowerment and market skills improve rural livelihoods
A bold business decision helps one Cambodian woman improve her farm’s production and challenge gender roles. Hos Salop’s days always began very early. She would cook breakfast for her husband and her three-year-old grandchild before working on her family farm in the village of Pongro in northwest Cambodia.
Emergency assistance helps Afghan livestock keepers face increasingly challenging situations
A trip to the local market can be a bewildering experience for Zulaikha, a 48-year-old, widowed smallholder livestock farmer in northern Afghanistan’s Samangan province. Even the cost of the everyday items she needs for her family of six seems beyond her means.
Five ways science, technology and innovation are helping to transform the world’s agrifood systems
Finding new solutions for a better future of food
By 2050 it is estimated that the global population will surpass nine billion, with urban populations growing and rural populations declining. Although absolute food production might be sufficient to feed such a growing population, there are substantial gaps among countries in the use of science, technology and innovation in agriculture and food production.
"When the borders closed, I had to find a way to keep my business generating products and getting it outside of Samoa."
Four reasons why edible insects are good prospects for food security and livelihoods.
Stroll down a bustling night market in Thailand and you can spot street vendors selling aromatic and garnished bamboo worms and crickets. A must-try, these delicacies should be enjoyed while crisp and hot.
The exquisite flavour of carbon neutrality: Moving towards carbon neutral tea to benefit both the environment and livelihoods
The smart phone app helping Fijians form healthy eating habits: Innovation in Small Island Developing States combines digital savvy with traditional approaches
Powering “greener” vegetable production in Bangladesh: Solar panels and green technology combat water scarcity and help farmers grow nutritious food in Cox’s Bazar
Groundwater: Making the invisible visible: Addressing groundwater depletion and pollution to ensure food security
What one radio show and one strong woman can do: Ramkali is challenging social norms and empowering women in rural Nepal
No fear when vets are near: How epidemiology and emergency response safeguard farmers and their animals from diseases
The determination of a young girl turned community leader in Papua New Guinea: Hallilah transforms her education and support from FAO into better livelihoods for people in her island country
Happy cows make for a happy farm in Uganda: How South-South Cooperation between China and Uganda helps improve the resilience and livelihoods of farmers
Challenging youth to make healthy eating fun: The Nutrition Challenge Badge initiative helps young people in Bangladesh and worldwide form good eating habits
Four beauty products found in forests: How natural cosmetic and beauty products are providing forest communities with livelihood opportunities
Broadening forestry education to tackle the climate crisis: New generations of students help adapt local knowledge and practices to a changing world
Bringing cultures together on the farms and mountains of Viet Nam: Cooperatives are boosting farming, incomes and community spirit
Agricultural transformation starts in the backyard: Family farming offers self-sufficiency and a return to nature in Indonesia
Bhutan’s ‘spicy’ journey to preserve the country’s taste for chilli peppers: Farmers win the battle against climate and terrain to start domestic chilli cultivation