On the occasion of the World Fisheries Day (21 November, 2020), sixteen small-scale fisheries organizations, from Europe and Africa, environmental and development NGOs, and the former Vice-chair of the European Parliament fisheries committee have signed a statement calling the European Commissioner-designate for Environment and Oceans, Virginijus Sinkevitius, to secure sustainable...

Innovation, solidarity, coherence and strong partnership among and within countries of Asia and the Pacific are required for the region to rebound from the damage caused by COVID-19 and the ongoing effects of chronic undernourishment. That was a call made by more than 40 member countries of the Food and Agriculture...

The Commission has committed to developing a long-term vision for rural areas. To achieve such a vision, it is necessary to assess what life is like in the rural areas of Europe and map out what is key for their prosperity. This public consultation will contribute to this process by...

A alimentação é um direito social estabelecido no Artigo 6º da Constituição Federal Brasileira e o poder público deve adotar as políticas e as ações que se façam necessárias para promover e garantir a segurança alimentar e nutricional da população, conforme disposto na Lei nº 11.346 de 15 de setembro...

Brasil tem trabalhado muito para mitigar os efeitos da crise, principalmente no setor primário. Temos um Comitê de Crise, que funciona no Ministério da Agricultura, que está trabalhando fortemente para garantir o suprimento de alimentos para a população brasileira. Temos ações junto às cooperativas agropecuárias para ajudar a manter a produção...

“Pesticide” is a broad term covering a range of products that are used to kill pests, including insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and rodenticides. These pesticides are toxic and can be very harmful to your health and the environment (especially for bees). But overuse of pesticides is not just dangerous for your...

Farmers located along the river banks in the Kapilvastu district in Nepal face frequent floods and subsequent land degradation that deeply affects their livelihoods, as the sand that deposits in this area makes cultivation of crops unfeasible. The introduction of watermelon and sweet potato crops along the river banks, also...

India’s growing population represents 40 percent of the world’s absolute poor. Its agricultural sector accounts for nearly one third of the country’s GDP and occupies two thirds of the workforce. With an increasing food demand and some of its regions, like the eastern plateau region, receiving very little rainfall, aquaculture...

The following technology describes the most common corn pests and their characteristics. The technology is provided by Uganda's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO).

As a country with a significant agricultural sector dominated by smallholders, Albania has a strong interest in understanding their situation. A new FAO study on Albanian smallholders is a crucial step towards evidence-based decision-making for the benefit of some 300 000 small farms and the Albanian countryside.

This commentary uses the lens of anthropology to imagine the consequences of COVID-19 for the food system. It explores the different cultural meanings of food and presents the pandemic as a social phenomenon. All of these elements suggest the possibility of a deep and widespread impact and urge economic actors...

Los mecanismos de financiamiento externo resultan esenciales para la sostenibilidad de los micro y pequeños productores agropecuarios y acuícolas. En la mayoría de los casos, su escala de producción y la consecuente baja renta generada, imposibilitan su acceso regular a los insumos de producción requeridos para iniciar nuevos ciclos. La...

Paola Laura produce verduras y hortalizas en las afueras de El Alto, en La Paz. Su trabajo es un valioso aporte para que los alimentos frescos y nutritivos no falten en la mesa, aún en tiempos de COVID-19.

Representatives from various sectoral bodies in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) met virtually  for a high-level roundtable to discuss accelerated actions to leverage social protection to address COVID-19 pandemic and to officially launch the ASEAN Guidelines on Disaster Responsive Social Protection to Increase Resilience.  The ASEAN region is facing a...

Three researchers from France, Denmark and Sweden claim that the most current method for assessing the environmental impact of agriculture and food could be missing some important elements. This has led to some studies misrepresenting the benefits of organic farming.

Climate change increases uncertainties in the agriculture sector and directly impacts agricultural production. In the Cordillera region of the northern Philippines, erratic precipitation patterns affect water availability during important crop growth stages, while drought in some areas make it extremely difficult for farmers to grow crops. Local agriculture workers and...

Cassava is not fully utilized in Eastern Africa compared to West Africa (Nigeria, Ghana). Cassava is drought tolerant, easy to grow and simple to harvest. All parts of the cassava plant are valuable. Cassava leaves can be used to make soup or as feed for livestock, the stems can be...

La pandemia de la enfermedad por coronavirus (COVID-19) tiene efectos sobre las actividades del sistema alimentario (producción, transformación, distribución, comercio y consumo de alimentos) y sus resultados, sobre todo en términos de seguridad alimentaria y bienestar social. El Secretario General de las Naciones Unidas ha resaltado la necesidad de una...

Sweet potato, a rhizome-producing crop, not only serves as a food source, but also protects the soil against erosion by covering it with foliage. Sweet potato cultivation is based on three varieties, preferably in mountain ranges or hills. Harvesting, which can take up to four months, is based on the...

The Near East and North Africa (NENA) countries are known for high levels of overweight and obesity. These patterns are observed for both children and adults.Despite some variations across countries, on average 60 to 70 percent of adults in the NENA region are overweight, with obesity rates amounting to about...