News archive 2014

FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva told agricultural ministers from the European Union at a meeting in Milan that governments must help combat hunger and malnutrition on a global level, noting that a failure to do so will only boost migration flows and stoke conflicts.

Director-General José Graziano da Silva addressed the Committee on Agriculture, one of FAO's governing bodies, on Monday, urging them to support a wide menu of options favoring sustainable agriculture, including agroecology and the use of genetically-modified organisms.

FAO Director-General, José Graziano da Silva today stressed the need for controls on animal health to help curb the spread of Ebola and other infectious diseases dangerous to humans, during discussions hosted by US President Barack Obama.

The FAO Director-General urged countries to take the "extra step" and take up the UN Secretary-General's Zero Hunger Challenge which seeks to eradicate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition worldwide.This "should not remain a dream. It is a vision that is within our reach," the FAO chief said.

Better management of the world's ocean resources is crucial to ensuring food global security, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said during a roundtable discussion with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

Overcoming climate change is central to achieving a sustainable future for the planet's growing population, and food security must lie at the heart of that effort

Despite current short-term improvements, 1.5 million people are projected to remain severely food insecure until the end of 2014, which is a fifty percent increase from December 2013.

A recently-emerged strain of avian influenza virus in poultry in Southeast Asia known as A(H5N6) represents a new threat to animal health and livelihoods and must be closely monitored.

The State of Food Insecurity in the World (SOFI 2014) confirmed a positive trend which has seen the number of hungry people decline globally by more than 100 million over the last decade and by 209 million since 1990-92. The report is published annually by FAO, IFAD and WFP.