News archive 2010

With the rescue operation now underway in Haiti the country and the aid effort should simultaneously move to the urgent support of food production, agricultural rehabilitation and reconstruction, said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf.

FAO appeals for support to farmers to give the country a future and stave off further hunger after the devastating earthquake. Around 80 per cent of Haitians are involved in agriculture but they do not have the necessary expertise and equipment and FAO estimates around half of Haiti's population is undernourished.

FAO Director General expresses sadness and solidarity over Port-au-Prince tragedy. FAO to boost agricultural production to try and stall increases in hunger in Haitian capital and elsewhere.

Finding the living, curing the sick and burying the dead are the first priorities in Haiti following Tuesday's terrifying earthquake. But over the coming weeks and months people will need to be fed and it is crucial that the priority of boosting agricultural production in the country does not get forgotten in the rubble and chaos.

According to a new FAO report, grasslands have vast untapped potential to mitigate climate change by absorbing and storing CO2. Pastures and rangelands represent a carbon sink that could be greater than forests if properly managed.