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More people are going hungry, an annual study by the United Nations has found. Tens of millions have joined the ranks of the chronically undernourished over the past five years, and countries around the world continue to struggle with multiple forms of malnutrition. The latest edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, published today, estimates that almost 690 million people went hungry in 2019 - up by...

The FAO Council today approved a series of measures proposed by the Director-General QU Dongyu to modernize the UN agency and make it more efficient and effective. Composed of 49 member countries and executive organ of the FAO Conference, the Council met virtually for the first time in FAO's history due to the COVID-19 pandemic.In its final report, the FAO Council "supported the Director-General's vision for the Organization to be...

The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, has appointed Jong-Jin Kim as Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, effective 1 July 2020.  Mr Kim, a national of the Republic of Korea, has a long and distinguished career in public service. He joined FAO in 2013 as Director of South-South Cooperation and Resource Mobilization Division (TCS) and immediately prior...

The Republic of Korea's traditional bamboo-based farming system in Damyang has been recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS), a designation managed by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). It is the fifth time a site from the Republic of Korea has won the GIAHS recognition.  Based on traditional agroecological practices, the site is an impressive example of sustainable agriculture approach linking nature and traditional farming practices while respecting the...

Coinciding with World Ocean Day, ocean surveys to map ideal locations prior to deploying fishing aggregating devices (FAD) were conducted on June 8, 2020. A FAD is a structure or device in the ocean that is used to lure fish. Conducting proper surveys prior to deploying FADs at any new sites is crucial. Surveys provide accurate depth information and reveal the topography of the seabed. This work is carried out using...

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused great disruptions to the agricultural economies of Southeast Asia, and severely impacted countless livelihoods of the more than 600 million people living in the ten countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Sectors of the economy focused on food and agriculture have taken the brunt of much of the impact. Health and safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are likely...

The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 requires a greater coordinated response on many policy levels, but particularly to ensure food security and nutrition for billions of people in the vast Asia-Pacific region, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported today. FAO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific has just published a series of regional policy briefs that analyse the impact COVID-19 is having on present food...

While increasingly unpredictable, and seasonal, climate-related disasters continue to cause massive hardships for farmers and their animals in Asia and the Pacific, the world’s most disaster-prone region, volcanic eruptions can cause catastrophe. In particular, during the last two centuries, volcanic eruptions in rural areas of Indonesia and Philippines have resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of human lives, and untold numbers of farm animals. One eruption in the early...

The Governments of Myanmar and Finland today launched a trailblazing project designed to allow for monitoring of forests in a manner that is sensitive to local conflicts and protects human rights. The five-year project will be led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) thanks to a EUR 8 million endowment from the Government of Finland, a consistent partner in the promotion of environmental sustainability. The project is...