News and Press Releases
International Day of Forests commemorated in the Pacific
28.04.2015 Samoa
Celebrating the International Day of Forests (IDF) is gaining momentum in the Pacific. The theme this year, Forests and Climate Change was chosen to highlight the ways in which forests and climate change are linked, and to rally global support for greater action and change.
Some countries used variations of the global theme. Fiji commemorated IDF under its national theme, Healthy Forests, Resilient Communities. IDF was preceded by a weeklong awareness...
Soils 4 Life: Photo Competition on Instagram
28.04.2015
FAO has launched a photo contest #soils4life on Instagram as part of the commemoration of the International Year of Soils 2015. The contest invites followers to share photos related to soils, their potential, their functions, but also instances of exploitation or abuse to help draw attention to the numerous issues concerning this valuable resource.
The contest will run from 1 April until 17 May 2015. All photos posted during this time with...
Asian countries help safeguard food security with new regional network to preserve, inform and utilize plant genetic resources
25.04.2015 Bangkok, Thailand
Representatives andscientists from 15 countries in Asia have agreed the establishment of a regional network to exchange information on conservation, preservation and utilization of Plant Genetic Resources (PGR), the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has announced.
The plan to establish the network was revealed during the final meeting of a three-year project on Enhancing Understanding and Implementation of the International Treaty of Plant Genetic Resources (ITPGRFA) that entered into force in 2004. The project was implemented by FAO and was funded by the...
World rice production contracts slightly but international prices remain soft
Thailand heading for world number-one rice exporter in 2015
10.04.2015 Bangkok/Rome
Following years of bumper harvests, rice production has experienced its first annual contraction since 2009, while global prices for the grainremain soft, according to the first rice market report of 2015, published today by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
FAO has lowered its 2014 estimated global paddy production by 3.3 million tonnes since December, to 741.3 million tonnes (494.4 million tonnes milled), a level only 0.5 percent below the record 2013 performance. The largest downward revisionrelated to Thailand, one of the world’s leading rice exporters,where unseasonable dryness leading to severe constraints in...
Safe to eat? Countries in Asia and the Pacific examine ways to better coordinate their national approaches to food safety
01.04.2015 Bangkok, Thailand
Food safety is being jeopardized in many parts of Asia and the Pacific – in part due to poor hygiene, handling and storage – but also often due to a bewildering system of poorly-organized and coordinated inter-ministerial procedures, a regional consultation convened by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) heard today.
“We all recognize the need for food safety, it is in the interests of each and every one of...
A glass of milk for every child – Asia’s dairy farmers aim to boost production, livelihoods and nutrition
23.03.2015 Anand, India
As demand for nutritious dairy products continues to grow across Asia and the Pacific, experts and policy-makers from dairy-producing countries in the region are meeting in Anand, the Milk Capital of India, to discuss and adopt a Strategic Framework for Sustainable Dairy Development in Asia that would boost livelihoods of smallholders and lower levels of undernutrition.
The meeting is co-organized by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the National Dairy...
Vanuatu: Early reports suggest vast majority of crops destroyed
FAO calls for emergency support for farmers to rebuild livelihoods
21.03.2015 Vanuatu
20 March 2015, Rome -- Strong winds, heavy rains and floods resulting from Tropical Cyclone Pam have caused extensive damage to agriculture throughout Vanuatu, including the main food and export crops, livestock, and fisheries infrastructure, FAO said today.
According to initial rapid assessments that the Vanuatu government led in four provinces, the banana crop throughout the country has been almost entirely destroyed, as havemost coconuts and all of the inland cabbage...
Vanuatu: Early reports suggest vast majority of crops destroyed
FAO calls for emergency support for farmers to rebuild livelihoods
20.03.2015 Rome, Italy
Strong winds, heavy rains and floods resulting from Tropical Cyclone Pam have caused extensive damage to agriculture throughout Vanuatu, including the main food and export crops, livestock, and fisheries infrastructure, FAO said today.
According to initial rapid assessments that the Vanuatu government led in four provinces, the banana crop throughout the country has been almost entirely destroyed, as have most coconuts and all of the inland cabbage plants and leafy vegetables....
Fighting illegal fishing in Tonga
20.03.2015 Tonga
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing continues to threaten effective conservation and management of fish stocks in the wider Pacific Region. IUU fishing is causing economic and social losses for the Pacific Countries and negatively impacts their food security and livelihoods.
FAO, Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) and the Tongan Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFFF) are working together to implement the 2009 FAO Agreement on Port State Measures...
On International Day of Forests, Asia and the Pacific needs to stop for a breath of fresh air
20.03.2015 Bangkok, Thailand
With pollution levels off the charts in some Asian cities and haze from forest fires blanketing much of Southeast Asia, this year’s International Day of Forests on 21st March reminds us what’s at stake if countries don't get more serious in dealing with deforestation and climate change, an official at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today.
“The present efforts to address climate change clearly need to be stepped...