News
Planting the seeds of our future
24/03/2025
Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) refers to any genetic material of plant origin of actual or potential value for food and agriculture.
FAO: Genetic resources fund guarantees “library” of solutions for agriculture
27/02/2025
The official launch of the Cali Fund at COP16 in Rome marks the beginning of a new era for the equitable distribution of benefits derived from the use of data about the natural world. Manoela Pessoa de Miranda, Secretary of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, emphasizes ...
UN Biodiversity Conference COP16 talks resume in Rome: What’s at stake?
20/02/2025
Unfinished biodiversity negotiations are back on the table. After a groundbreaking session in Cali, Colombia, delegations are reconvening in Rome to tackle unfinished business that will be critical for biodiversity action – with transforming agrifood systems emerging as a central element fo...
World Pulses Day 2025 | Pulses: Bringing diversity to agrifood systems
06/02/2025
Pulses bring diversity to our agrifood systems in multiple ways: on the farm, in our diets and through value-added products. They boost biodiversity on farms by enriching cropping systems with more species. With more than 100 types of pulses available, farmers have many options for crop rotations...
Global Environment Facility approves $68 million for agrifood systems solutions
24/12/2024
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has helped 22 countries unlock $68 million in financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to address biodiversity loss, groundwater management, climate change, land degradation, and pollution.
Resumed meetings of the UN Biodiversity Conference to be held at FAO headquarters, 25 - 27 February 2025
29/11/2024
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a decision to hold at its headquarters in Rome, Italy the resumed sessions of the UN Biodiversity Conference, including the Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) from 25 to 27 February 2025.
Upcoming webinar on “Establishing and scaling up breeding programmes in challenging environments”
26/11/2024
Thursday, 5 December 2024 14:00-15:30 UTC+1 (Paris time).
This webinar aims to report the literature review and interviews carried out by a group composed of researchers from INRAE, Idele (France) and BOKU (Austria) to write a section on how to scale up breeding programmes in challengin...
FAO launches inclusive digital tools to support global efforts on biodiversity and ecosystem restoration
26/11/2024
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has unveiled two new online resources to support countries and stakeholders in restoring degraded ecosystems. An interactive digital version of the Resource Guide to Target 2 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework an...
Understanding Farmers’ Rights
25/11/2024
The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (International Treaty), in collaboration with the CGIAR Initiative on Genebanks and the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT), held a...
Green businesses for biodiversity and climate action
21/11/2024
It’s the crack of dawn. Magnolia Ordoñez leaves in a small boat along with her husband - the captain- and her colleagues— all women. Their task: to find and collect pianguas, a type of saltwater clam, that lives buried within the roots of mangrove trees in the Pacific region of Colombia.
COP29: FAO highlights crucial role of primary forests for climate and biodiversity goals
20/11/2024
A recently launched technical brief from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) underscores the critical role of primary forests in combatting climate change and halting biodiversity loss as crucial discussions take place at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in B...
COP29: New FAO analysis maps Nationally Determined Contributions, identifies opportunities, gaps and risks related to agrifood climate solutions
18/11/2024
A new analysis from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) finds that almost all countries identify agrifood systems as a priority for climate change adaptation (94 percent) and mitigation (91 percent) in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). This highlights...
FAO at COP16: Promoting Climate Financing and One Health for Biodiversity Goals
06/11/2024
At the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16), held in Cali, Colombia, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean underscored the crucial role of food systems in tackling climate c...
New publication analyzes biodiversity and agrifood systems in Nationally Determined Contributions
01/11/2024
As FAO marks the closure of UN Biodiversity Conference (COP16), and looks forward to the start of UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in ten days time, it has launched a new publication on Biodiversity and agrifood systems in nationally determined contributions. Its analysis of actions included ...
FAO's call for agrifood systems transformation resounds at UN Biodiversity COP16 in Colombia
01/11/2024
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concluded its impactful participation in the 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP16) in Cali, Colombia, where its central message—agrifood systems play a critical role in achieving biodiversity goals—reverberated throughout the...
COP 16: FAO and the Global Environment Facility advance biodiversity goals in Latin America and the Caribbean
28/10/2024
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today presented the progress made in Latin America and the Caribbean regarding the targets set in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which outlines concrete goals for the protecti...
At UN Biodiversity COP16, FAO steers countries to find solutions in agrifood systems
25/10/2024
Closing the gap between ambition and implementation is the next frontier in the struggle to conserve the vast array of plant and animal species comprising life on earth and the habitats they rely on, including our own.
Colombia ratifies the International Treaty
23/10/2024
The Republic of Colombia deposited its instrument of ratification of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture with the Director-General of the FAO, and will become the 153rd Contracting Party.
Global workshop explores the potential of biological control agents and biostimulants for sustainable agriculture
16/10/2024
Biological control agents (BCAs) and biostimulants represent a sound, effective and nature-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides, however they are often disregarded by scientists, government decision-makers and the general public.
FAO helps foster new food frontiers with African orphan crops
11/10/2024
Aspiring and established plant scientists from around Africa gathered in Kenya’s capital for a workshop to review what has been achieved so far by the African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC). In its first decade, the AOCC has empowered more than 172 scientists, nearly 40 percent of whom have been ...