BIOTECHNOLOGY

Call for case studies of the use of agricultural biotechnologies to meet the needs of smallholders in developing countries

Wed, 25 May 2022 00:00:00 GMT

FAO has just launched an open call for case studies of the use of agricultural biotechnologies to meet the needs of smallholders in developing countries. In 2012, FAO published Biotechnologies at Work for Smallholders, a collection of case studies of the applications of biotechnologies to serve the needs of smallholders [...]

Biotechnologies and genetic resources for food and agriculture

Tue, 24 May 2022 00:00:00 GMT

The FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture has just published “Recent developments in biotechnologies relevant to the characterization, sustainable use and conservation of genetic resources for food and agriculture”. The 22-page covers developments relevant to all sectors of genetic resources for food and agriculture as well as [...]

Food biotechnologies with a focus on food safety

Mon, 23 May 2022 00:00:00 GMT

FAO has just published an “Information toolkit on food biotechnologies with a focus on food safety”, which serves as a basis to assist countries in addressing the general public’s concerns on food biotechnology and food safety, to support them in raising awareness of the science of food biotechnologies and food [...]

Report of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture's 18th Regular Session

Fri, 11 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMT

The 18th Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) took place from 27 September to 1 October 2021 in a virtual format. For the agenda item on “Review of the work on biotechnologies for the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources for food [...]

FAO Global Seed Conference

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMT

On 4-5 November 2021, FAO organised the "Global conference on green development of seed industries". The virtual event provided a neutral forum for FAO Members, partners, industry and opinion leaders, and other stakeholders to engage in focused dialogues on how best to make quality seeds of preferred productive, nutritious and [...]

Science Days for the UN Food Systems Summit

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMT

As part of the build up to the UN Food Systems Summit on 23 September 2021, the Scientific Group of the UN Food Systems Summit organized the “Science Days for the UN Food Systems Summit 2021”, facilitated and hosted by FAO on 8-9 July, where more than 2,000 participants from [...]

Revised and updated Arabic dictionary of biotechnological terms in food and agriculture

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMT

In 2005, the FAO "Glossary of biotechnology for food and agriculture", published in 2001, was translated into Arabic in a co-publishing partnership with the United Arab Emirates University. With the fast advances in biotechnology research over the past two decades, the FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North [...]

Launch of the new Biosafety Clearing-House platform

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMT

On 29 November 2021, the new Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH) platform was launched. The BCH is a mechanism established in Article 20 of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to facilitate the exchange of information on living modified organisms (LMOs) and to assist Parties in complying with their obligations under the Protocol. [...]

Genetic uniqueness of Jaffna sheep in Sri Lanka

Sun, 06 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMT

The Animal Production and Health Laboratory of the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture helped the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka to initiate a study on Jaffna sheep, an endangered indigenous breed in Sri Lanka. The scope of the study was to assess the genetic diversity [...]

Advances in science and risk assessment tools for Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus associated with seafood

Sat, 05 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Globally, the bacterial species Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus represent important human pathogens associated with the consumption of seafood. In response to the requests for scientific advice from the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene, risk assessments for the pathogens Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and guidance on methods for [...]

Paving the way to bananas resistant to Fusarium oxysporum TR4

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMT

The Plant Breeding and Genetics Section (PGS) of the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture established a mutation breeding programme for the development of Cavendish bananas resistant to the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum, a destructive pathogen that damages the roots of banana plants. In the 1990s, [...]

Diagnostic test validation science

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Issue 40 (1) of the periodical Scientific and Technical Review, published by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), is dedicated to 'Diagnostic test validation science', which is a key element in the effective detection and control of infectious animal diseases. The primary goal of this issue is to provide [...]

OECD Working Party on the Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMT

The OECD Working Party on the Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology (WP-HROB) aims to assist countries in evaluating the potential risks of genetically engineered organisms, foster communication and mutual understanding of relevant regulations in countries and facilitate harmonisation in environmental risk/safety assessment of organisms produced through modern biotechnology. The [...]

Rearing improved sterile male strains for the sterile insect technique

Mon, 17 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in cooperation with FAO, has been researching and improving the sterile insect technique (SIT) for the last 60 years to help countries combat diseases that insects carry. The SIT uses ionising radiation to sterilize male insects which are then released into target areas to [...]

Meetings of Convention on Biological Diversity's subsidiary bodies

Sun, 16 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT

The twenty-fourth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 24) and the third meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI 3) take place virtually in the period 3 May to 13 June 2021. The SBSTTA 24 plenaries take place 3-4 May, 23-26 May and [...]

The microbiome in food and agriculture

Sat, 15 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Thanks to the development of rapid and affordable genomic sequencing technologies, it is now possible to identify the presence and function of a huge array of bacteria, viruses, protozoa and fungi as well as their theatre of action in different ecosystems. Research has shown that the gut microbiome, referring to [...]

Peer review of technical document on synthetic biology

Fri, 14 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT

As part of its CBD Technical Series, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) published a 118-page document on synthetic biology in 2015. At its fourteenth meeting in November 2018, the Conference of the Parties to the CBD requested the Executive Secretary to update the document for consideration [...]

Pocket guide on access to information and public participation regarding GMOs

Thu, 13 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT

The Secretariats of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (the Aarhus Convention) and the Convention on Biological Diversity have jointly published a 12-page pocket guide aiming to help governments and stakeholders strengthen [...]

Virtual training courses on transboundary animal diseases

Wed, 12 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT

The European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (EuFMD) website hosts a platform offering a wide variety of online training courses that support the control of foot-and-mouth disease and similar transboundary animal diseases (FAST), including bovine ephemeral fever, lumpy skin disease, peste des petits ruminants, rift valley fever and [...]

Digital sequence information on genetic resources: Webinar recordings and discussion forum

Tue, 11 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity organised four webinars and an online discussion forum to share information related to digital sequence information on genetic resources, in collaboration with the ABS Capacity Development Initiative. The series of webinars took place on 1 and 9 December 2020 and 11 February [...]