On 30 January, biodiversity experts from more than 20 African countries met in Harare to discuss the state of biodiversity for food and agriculture in the region and consider action to strengthen the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. National Focal Points shared experiences at national and regional levels with the aim of strengthening efforts to halt the loss of this key resource.

They are the dried edible seeds of legumes both cultivated for food and feed. They are pulses, and if you didn’t know already, they have the potential to transform our agrifood systems.

Colourful and flavourful, small yet powerful, pulses include the well-known beans, lentils, chickpeas and peas but there are also the lesser-known kinds like tarwi beans and adzuki beans.  

The World Wetlands Day raises global awareness about the importance of wetlands for human prosperity and a healthy planet. FAO, in collaboration with the Ramsar Convention Secretariat and the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, will host the World Wetlands Day celebration on 2 February 2024 from 12:00 to 13:30 (CET) at FAO Headquarters and online.

Ensuring the availability of seeds and seedlings from a range of tree species is crucial if we are to meet global targets on the restoration of degraded forests and landscapes, according to a new forestry working paper from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT.

Virtual webinar for Latin America and the Caribbean

• 31 January 2024, 10:00-11:30 EST/ 16:00-17:30 CET - in English and Spanish
• Registration: https://f...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has today launched an all-in-one tool to assess the environmental impact of projects and investments in the agriculture, forestry and land use (AFOLU) sector. The Adaptation, Biodiversity and Carbon Mapping Tool (ABC-Map) is an open-source satellite imagery app, based on Google Earth Engine, with information from global datasets including the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), land cover data sets from the European Space Agency and climate data from the ERA5 dataset.

A new global fisheries management body began its inaugural meeting this week with key items on the agenda including best practices and approaches for the effective management of fisheries resources, and improvements in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) methodology to estimate the state and health of the world's marine fish stocks.

In a pivotal gathering from November 22nd to 24th, 2023, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) hosted a landmark event aimed at advancing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) Target 2 at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

On International Mountain Day (11 December), FAO celebrates the Central Asian Mountain Partnership (CAMP) Alatoo, a micro-reserve that was established to conserve local flora and fauna in Kyrgyzstan. Following consultations with local communities, the reserve protects 14 000 hectares of pastures and glaciers, with strict regulations on activities such as hunting and grazing.

The FAO Council, at its 174th Session, adopted Resolution 1/174 – The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, as recommended by the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture at its 19th Regular Session.