FAO.org

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) has endorsed an FAO project to prevent substantial crop damage by an invasive pest, the cassava pink mealybug, in the Greater Mekong Subregion.The regional technical assistance project will develop pest-spread prevention strategies and biocontrol options to manage the insect. The project is expected to be completed by December 2012.The mealybug could represent a major threat to food and nutrition security in the Lao...

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will dedicate a series of three soccer matches in the fight against hunger and poverty at an impressive show of football solidarity during the Asian Cup to be played in Doha, Qatar, promoted by FAO and AFC.The first match to be dedicated to the fight against hunger is the opening match of the Asian Cup to be played on 7 January between Qatar and Uzbekhistan....

Supported by conclusions from a new data scoping report, Pacific Island Countries plan to expand data collection on agriculture production, domestic food marketing and agriculture trade to provide decision-makers with actionable information that can be used to strengthen food security across the Pacific islands.Food security in the Pacific has been threatened for decades. Declining investment, climate change and deterioration of land and water for agriculture and fisheries have eroded the...

In this week’s episode, research intern Matt Styslinger, Nourishing the Planet TV, explains how farmers in Cambodia, with training from organizations supported by FAO and its Regional Vegetable Integrated Pest Management Programme, are combining various strategies and practices to grow healthy crops without the aid of expensive and hazardous chemical inputs. This alternative approach is called Integrated Pest Management (IPM).More information at:http://blogs.worldwatch.org/nourishingtheplanet/nourishing-the-planet-tv-handling-pests-with-care-instead-of-pesticide/http://www.vegetableipmasia.org/

In its latest outlook released today, FAO gives a less optimistic forecast of global rice production than it did last June, as, since then, crops in many large producing countries have been affected by a series of problems. This has led the organization to lower its forecasts for production, especially for India, Pakistan, China and the Republic of Korea.In spite of the downward revisions, FAO’s forecast of world paddy production...

Cereal shortages and under-nourishment will continue.Rome - About five million people living in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) will continue to face food shortages despite a relatively good harvest and a slight increase in food supply, a joint report by FAO and WFP said today.A joint FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission that visited DPRK in September found that the country faces a cereal import requirement for...

The largely ‘invisible’ role of women in small-scale fisheries must be addressed if policies or development programmes aimed at improving the livelihoods of small scale fishers are to be successful, a workshop in Siem Reap heard today.Jose Parajua, Regional Manager of the Spanish-funded Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme for South and Southeast Asia (RFLP) said, “Women play a significant role in fisheries, yet lack of attention to gender can result in...

“Food security remains a high priority for the government and FAO along with other development partners are working to provide support to those who most need it”, said Ad Spijkers, FAO Representative during the signing ceremony of a project under the National Programme for Food Security (NPFS). Funded to the tune of USD 2.984 million from a grant from the Italian Government, the project titled “Food Security through enhanced agricultural...

Planting season boosted after floods destroyed seed supply of millions - - - Rome - FAO has begun a large-scale distribution of wheat seeds in Pakistan that will benefit well over half a million farming families or nearly five million people.The distributions will mean that for these people the current Rabi planting season that ends in December will take place despite the devastation caused by the worst flooding the country...

Bangkok − Today, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn presented FAO awards to four Asian farmers from Nepal, the Republic of Korea, Thailand and Timor-Leste for outstanding achievements.Domingos Pires a model fisher from the Democratic Republic of Timor-LesteNine year’s ago fisherman Domingos Pires, found himself with growing business opportunities when, after more than 450 years of foreign occupation, Timor-Leste became an independent country. Domingos, the son of a fisherman,...