News and Press Releases
Down for the count – FAO member countries in Asia-Pacific work to improve agricultural and rural statistics to help fight hunger, malnutrition
17.03.2015 Bangkok, Thailand
Participants from 15 countries in Asia and the Pacific are working together, with technical support from FAO under the frame work of the Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics, to develop better methods in the gathering of statistics to ensure more and accurate information is available to help fight hunger and under-nutrition, an official of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) announced today.
The Global...
Striking a balance on developing bioenergy and growing crops for food security
17.03.2015 Bangkok, Thailand
While the price of fossil fuels has seen a considerable fall in recent months, demand for bioenergy products is likely to continue for the foreseeable future, alongside the growth of crops for food, a senior official with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today.
Hiroyuki Konuma, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, made the comments during a Keynote presentation to a gathering of Thai...
Small Scale Fisheries Guidelines to help in the Pacific
13.03.2015 Noumea, New Caledonia
FAO presented Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small Scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines) at the Ninth Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) Heads of Fisheries Meeting recently in Noumea, New Caledonia.
Chief of FAO’s Development Law Service, Mr. Blaise Kuemlangan, highlighted the merits of the SSF Guidelines, referring to it as “the first international instrument that is dedicated entirely to the immensely important – but until now often neglected – small scale...
Countries in Asia and the Pacific move forward with ecologically sustainable intensification of aquaculture to help feed a rapidly growing, fish-consuming world
13.03.2015 Bangkok, Thailand
Six countries in Asia are taking the lead in collaboration with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization to deliver “blue growth” – a regional initiative which aims to promote the intensification of aquaculture production in an ecological and sustainable way, FAO officials announced today.
The six countries, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam are taking the lead to pilot plans to upgrade aquaculture in order to help meet...
Asia-Pacific countries move forward with FAO regional initiative to meet the Zero Hunger Challenge head on
11.03.2015 Bangkok, Thailand
A regional initiative for the National Zero Hunger Challenge is being actively implemented in five Asian countries, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) announced today.
Representatives from the five pilot countries – Bangladesh, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal and Timor-Leste – gathered in Bangkok to share their experiences and carry forward their plans to tackle hunger and malnutrition.
Government representatives from the five countries are taking part...
Indonesia, Laos, Philippines move forward with renewed initiative to produce rice more efficiently and sustainably
09.03.2015 Bangkok, Thailand
Major rice importing countries such as Indonesia and Philippines – as well as Lao Peoples’ Democratic Republic, have renewed their efforts to identify and implement more efficient and sustainable methods of rice production, a workshop sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) heard today.
“Asia is home to rice, and people in this region depend on rice economically, socially and environmentally,” said Hiroyuki Konuma, FAO Assistant...
Helping to feed the world through advancements in e-Agriculture
UN Agencies to publish strategy guide for implementing e-Agriculture services
03.03.2015 Bangkok, Thailand
Guidelines to improve the application of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in agriculture – gains which could bring innovation in agricultural technology, ensure more efficient food production, mitigate food losses and attract a younger generation to become successful farmers – are close at hand, a forum co-convened by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) heard today.
“The applications of validated e-Agriculture processes will be a great addition to innovative agricultural...
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will fund an animal surveillance project for Vanuatu.
The FAO Vanuatu Animal Disease Surveillance Project will last for four months and will cost $US100,000 or approximately Vt10 million.
FAO is working in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) to bring our global expertise to the Pacific and to harness locally relevant skills and experience from SPC as the key...
The Regional Expert Roundtable on Climate Services for Agriculture and Food and Nutrition Security was held recently in Apia, Samoa. The meeting was a partnership between FAO, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).
A range of experts gathered from the agricultural, climate change and weather sectors to discuss how...
Investing in Cook Islands agriculture
27.02.2015 Cook Islands
The shortage of agricultural land and high cost of agricultural labour located near major domestic markets can hinder the competitiveness of the agriculture sector in the Pacific Region.
Changing to knowledge, land and labour-saving approaches to farming and agro-industry development requires capital investments and adopting new technologies, equipment and infrastructure.
In the Cook Islands, FAO has entered into an agreement to provide funding support for local agriculture with the Cook Islands Chamber...