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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...

One month after Typhoon Haiyan struck a devastating blow to the Philippines, farmers who lost essential crops and supplies are receiving the first wave of emergency seeds, restoring hope for a productive planting season and much-needed food for the coming year. FAO and the Philippines' Department of Agriculture (DA) have begun delivering the first rice and corn seed allocations to rural communities in the Visayan island group. As a result, some...

Farmers across Asia and the Pacific could soon have access to new and innovative technologies that would help them meet the region’s demand for increased food production and food security, a UN-convened meeting announced today. Leaders in agricultural research and extension services from across the Asia-Pacific region and representatives from civil society, private sector and international organizations today concluded an Expert Consultation on ‘Strengthening Linkages between Research and Extension to...

In recent years, climate-smart agriculture has emerged as a proven approach to ensure food security, increase agricultural productivity and incomes, build resilience to climate change and reduce emissions. However, what is often overlooked is the vast contribution of women in climate-smart agriculture. In many countries of ASEAN and beyond, women account for up to 50 percent of agricultural outputs. As women play an increasing and central role in agriculture and natural resources...

Philippine fishers face immense damage to the fisheries and aquaculture sectors in regions affected by Typhoon Haiyan, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization said today, calling for prompt and sustainable actions to help rebuild livelihoods.“Even though we still only have a partial picture, it is clear that the damage caused to the fisheries sector is immense and spans the entire value chain, from catch to market,” said Rodrigue Vinet, acting...

The  global campaign against hunger launched by the Caritas confederation is an important contribution to raise awareness of the plight of millions of hungry people around the globe and to work towards the elimination of hunger, said Marcela Villarreal, Director of FAO's Office for Partnerships, Advocacy and Capacity Development. The campaign ‘One Human Family, Food for All’ was launched in Rome today with a video message of Pope Francis. In his message,...

Adverse weather in parts of Asia has taken a toll on rice production in a number of countries in the region, the FAO announced today.  According to FAO’s Rice Market Monitor (RMM) for November, global paddy production in 2013, while still expected to outpace 2012 production, has been revised downward by some five million tonnes to 741.4 million tonnes (494.2 million tonnes, milled basis). The predicted result by the end of...

Asia and the Pacific region is a step closer to adopting a regional rice strategy the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced today after its External Rice Advisory Group (ERAG) came up with an outline to formulate a rice strategy for the Asia-Pacific region following a two-day consultation that ended Friday night. In 2012, at the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific in Hanoi, Viet Nam, FAO member...

The future of rice is under threat on many fronts, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today at the opening session of a two-day consultation by its External Rice Advisory Group (ERAG), which is advising FAO on the formulation of a rice strategy for Asia and the Pacific. Professor M S Swaminathan, known as the father of the green revolution, is chairing the ERAG meeting and R B...

Officials of UN agencies, private sector agriculture enterprises and private citizens concerned with global hunger opened today a two-day forum exploring new ways to speed up hunger reduction and achieve food security globally and particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. According to Hiroyuki Konuma, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), “This forum is very important because it is an arena...