FAO.org

Senior government officials and development partners from Asia met today to finalize a regional rice strategy. Convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the “Consultative Meeting on Rice Strategy for Asia and the Pacific,” has attracted more than 40 participants from some 17 countries of the region and representatives from development partners. The participants are considering the contents of a draft “Rice strategy for sustainable food security...

Coconut farmers in the Philippines are in urgent need of assistance to recover their livelihoods nearly three months after Typhoon Haiyan tore through the country, FAO warned today. The typhoon flattened millions of trees when it made landfall in November and the country’s second largest coconut-producing region, Eastern Visayas, was one of the areas most affected. In this region alone some 33 million coconut trees were damaged or destroyed and more than...

New Zealand’s Ambassador to the Philippines, Reuben Levermore, has lauded FAO’s support to displaced farming communities in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in the Southern Philippines. With funding from the Government of New Zealand, FAO has been restoring agricultural livelihoods in conflict- and flood-affected areas of ARMM by providing vital agricultural inputs and training to improve crop, livestock and fisheries production. The Ambassador visited the project on 24 January...

As the Government of Tonga focuses on meeting immediate needs such as shelter, water and sanitation for people affected by the recent category 5 Tropical Cyclone Ian in the islands of Ha'apai, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Forests and Fisheries (MAFFF) has moved rapidly to launch recovery efforts, a joint Government of Tonga and FAO Sub-regional Office for the Pacific Islands has announced.The recovery efforts are focusing on agriculture,...

One of Japan’s top-ranked and most popular private universities is teaming up with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to improve the regional knowledge base and promote a joint effort to fight against hunger and under-nutrition, the FAO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific announced today. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by FAO’s Hiroyuki Konuma, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific and Ken-ichi...

Human infections with the influenza A(H7N9) virus are on the rise again in China and the upcoming Chinese New Year festivities provide opportunity for further spread and human exposure, FAO warned today. Millions of people and poultry are expected to be on the move and many households will slaughter poultry at home to celebrate the New Year. FAO called upon neighboring countries to remain vigilant in the face of A(H7N9) and...

Two of Asia-Pacific’s leading organizations and institutes have formally pledged to work together to develop innovative approaches in research, education and capacity building to counter hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity in the region. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) was signed today at the FAO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, in Bangkok. “This...

Two months after Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines, Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Børge Brende, lauded FAO for its work in helping rice farmers replace devastated crops with new seeds.   Brende visited farmers in Tingib village, Samar province, Eastern Visayas region in the central Philippines, the area most affected by the typhoon (known locally as Yolanda)  last 8 November. The storm left more than 6,000 people dead and devastated...

The FAO Food Price Index averaged 206.7 points in December, nearly unchanged from the previous month, with a sharp increase in dairy prices and high meat values balancing out a steep decline in sugar quotations and lower cereal and oil prices. For 2013 as a whole, the index averaged 209.9 points – down 1.6 percent from 2012 and well below 2011's peak of 230.1, but still the third highest annual value...

The government of Timor-Leste has today announced it is officially joining the global fight against hunger and malnutrition. The announcement was made during a high-level event in the capital Dili by the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao. The event was graced by the presence of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of the Kingdom of Thailand, a strong advocate of global efforts to eradicate hunger and malnutrition. The United...