News archive 2012

Photo: ©FAO/Giuseppe Bizzarri
Highlighting the important role that marine ecosystems play in feeding the world, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said this weekend that the responsible and sustainable management of oceans and coasts must become "a global priority." The remarks came during a high-level panel discussion at the International Expo 2012 in Yeosu, South Korea.
14-08-2012
Photo: ©FAO/Olivier Thuillier
The FAO Food Price Index climbed 6 percent in July 2012 after three months of decline. The Index averaged 213 points, up 12 points from June but well below the peak of 238 points reached in February 2011. Grains and sugar were the main drivers of the increase.
9-08-2012
Photo: ©AFP/Aizar Raldes
Immediate action to promote sustainable diets and food biodiversity so as to improve the health of humans and of the planet is urged in a book just published by FAO and Bioversity International. The pace of biodiversity loss and ecosystems degradation, and the human health issues that arise in consequence, make it urgent to address the quality of agriculture and food systems and of diets.
8-08-2012
Photo: ©FAO/J. Micaud
Below normal monsoon rains in India are the chief cause of a 7.8 million tonnes downward revision in the forecast for global rice paddy production in 2012, although world output should still slightly surpass the excellent results achieved in 2011, according to the July 2012 issue of FAO's Rice Market Monitor.
6-08-2012
Photo: ©FAO
Close to three million people are in need of food, crops and livestock assistance, according to a Joint Rapid Food Security Needs Assessment mission conducted by FAO, WFP, and Syria's Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform. The report says the Syrian agricultural sector has lost a total of $1.8 billion this year as a result of the on-going crisis.
2-08-2012
Photo: ©FAO/Jon Spaull
FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva challenged academics to get involved in essential and politically important research into rural poverty and the food and agriculture business as it pertains to small-scale producers, in a speech today in Lisbon to the World Congress of Rural Sociology.
30-07-2012
Photo: ©FAO/Giulio Napolitano
A new regional initiative will help ten Central African countries to set up advanced national forest monitoring systems, FAO announced today. The forestry project will be managed jointly by the Central Africa Forests Commission (COMIFAC) and FAO in close collaboration with the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE).
26-07-2012
Photo: ©FAO/Tony Karumba
FAO and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) are calling on countries to comply with a global moratorium on research that involves working with live rinderpest virus in laboratories.
23-07-2012
Photo: ©FAO
Portuguese-speaking countries have found the right approach to tackling the hunger problem – by a combined effort of governments, civil society and the private sector, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva told the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP) today.
20-07-2012
Photo: ©FAO/Tony Karumba
A year ago today the United Nations announced a state of famine in southern Somalia. The six-month crisis caused thousands of deaths and required a massive humanitarian aid programme before it was declared officially over on 3 February 2012. Today Somalia is on the path to recovery but the situation remains critical and continued aid is vital in order to preserve food security.
20-07-2012