FAO has developed a publicly accessible near real-time database using satellite data that allows the monitoring of agricultural water productivity at different scales.

This database is the backbone of the WaPOR project that, now in its second phase, works with 13 partner countries to bui...

Water is the lifeblood of our planet. It sustains ecosystems, supports food production, and is vital for both human and natural systems. For World Water Day 2025, we are shining a spotlight on one of the most critical yet often overlooked ecosystems: glaciers.

Glaciers and ice sheets sto...

21 March marks the International Day of Forests, as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012.  

With the theme Forests and foods, this year’s cel...

The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) is an intergovernmental agreement signed by over 180 countries, aiming to protecting the world’s plant resources from the spread and introduction of pests, and promoting safe trade. The Convention introduced International Standards...

The 19th Session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM-19) opened today at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome, bringing together global experts, policymakers, and stak...

The spread of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza, bringing losses of hundreds of millions of poultry worldwide with increased spillover into mammals, highlights the urgent need for strengthened biosecurity, monitoring and surveillance, rapid-response mechanisms, and risk communication to s...

World coffee prices reached a multi-year high in 2024 - increasing 38.8 percent on the previous year’s average – mostly driven by inclement weather affecting key producing countries, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said today.

According to an

After nearly 14 years of conflict, the Syrian Arab Republic faces a severe humanitarian crisis, with an estimated 16.7 million people in need of assistance and 14.5 million food insecure. Agriculture – the primary income source for a significant portion of the population – has been severely im...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has assumed joint custodianship with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) of a new Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator regarding Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD). This indicator captures a crucial aspect previously lacking in...

The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, met today with H. E. Costas Kadis, Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans of the European Union (EU) at FAO headquarters.

The Director-General welcomed Commissioner Kadis to FAO and congratulated him on his recent appointment. He recalled the fruitful ...

Ugbaad – the Somali name for a new project that aims to boost climate resilient agriculture – translates as “fresh sprouting pasture”, symbolizing hope. The Climate Resilient Agriculture project bearing its name will tackle persistent challenges in Somalia, a country where nearly two-thirds of th...

A teacher from El Salvador, a young student from the Dominican Republic and a family farmer from Guatemala have never met, but their life stories are wound around the same cause.

They all believe in and work to harness the transformative power of healthy school food.

In the communi...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has appointed the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters as Global Goodwill Ambassadors recognizing the US team’s dedication to raising awareness ...

In Ghana, access to key agricultural productive assets, such as seeds, fertilizers, water, and land, is critical to agricultural productivity and food security, especially for women and youth. This disparity is particularly pronounced in some parts of Ghana, where traditional norms and cultura...

The benchmark for global food commodity prices rose in February, propelled by increases in sugar, dairy, and vegetable oil prices, according to the new Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) report released today.

The

Women play a vital role in our agrifood systems: as farmers, retailers, wage workers, entrepreneurs, and beyond. But their working conditions and economic opportunities are influenced by gender inequalities within the household, the community, the institutions, and the broader society.

T...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) together marked International Women's Day 2025 at an event today, reiterating their strong commitment to the empowerment of women and...

They are food providers, custodians of seeds, keepers of medicinal plants and guardians of biodiversity. They are knowledge holders and teachers of the younger generations. They have a fundamental role in preserving Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge, agri-food systems, cultures and languages. Root...

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu today emphasized the crucial role of evaluation in enhancing impact, fostering learning and driving innovation during the Joint High-Level Global Conference on Multi-Dimensional Evaluation for Influence and Transformation. The FAO-hosted conference, co-organized ...