The 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference, including the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), will be held in Cali, Colombia from 21 October to 1 November 2024.

Director-General announces FAO will host the  Baku Harmoniya Climate Initiative for Farmers.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture of Azerbaijan, convened a regional workshop on “Enhancing climate action in agriculture in Europe and Central Asia” to support national governments in the region to prepare for the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that will be held in November this year. 

A unique  carp pond farming system in Austria, an agroforestry system cultivating salak, or snake fruit in Bali, Indonesia and the Cocoa Agroforestry System of Sao Tome and Principe, have become the latest additions to Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS).

The new ‘Enhanced Transparency Framework on Climate change’ website, launched today by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), supports country efforts to accurately track and report on climate impacts and action.  

Studies have shown we are breathing microplastics, eating microplastics, drinking microplastics, and picking them up through skin contact. Evidence is mounting that they can pose a potential threat to food safety and human health.

The SCALA programme , co-led by FAO and UNDP, recently convened with three Costa Rican experts —Sylvia Chaves Acuña (Gender Specialist, FAO), Rafaella Sánchez Mora (Senior Specialist in Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, UNDP), and Katherine Fernández Rojas (Gender Equality Associate, UNDP)— to get their insights on how to advance gender equality and climate resilience in agriculture in Costa Rica and beyond. Their perspectives highlight how targeted interventions, such as those under the SCALA programme, and collaborative efforts are driving sustainable development and elevating women’s roles in the livestock sector.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are highly dependent on importing and exporting commodities. Imports into SIDS are often used to complement narrow local resource bases with fuel, food, and bottled water; while exports tend to be concentrated in a limited number of agrifood commodities such as cane sugar, bananas, tropical beverages and forest- and fisheries-based products. 

The “Facility for Action for Climate Empowerment to Achieve Nationally Determined Contributions (FACE-NDC)” has made some steady progress in preparing the ground for a radical reform of formal climate change education in Zambia - from early childhood to tertiary levels, including non-formal education interventions.

On a remote Chilean island at the centre of Lake Ranco south of the Andes, native trees are making a comeback thanks to the restoration efforts of Indigenous Peoples, like Anita Neguimán Antillanca. Like other Mapuche Huilliche Indigenous Peoples on Huapi Island, she’s been planting fruit-bearing Chilean hazel and other native trees ...

Agrometeorological advisory services help farmers make informed decisions on water and fertilizer management, pest and disease control, sowing and harvesting schedules, and other on-farm practices. Included in these advisory services is weather forecasting – from nowcasting to seasonal prediction, which, when combined with monitoring of farm conditions, can help produce and communicate practical farming advice to actors across the agrifood system. 

The Bioeconomy Talks series features interviews with experts on bioeconomy themes that are linked to agrifood systems transformation.

Agricultural communities worldwide face heightened vulnerability to climate hazards including droughts, floods, storm surges and heatwaves. These extreme weather events can have detrimental effects on agrifood systems and jeopardize all four pillars of food security, namely: availability, access, utilization and stability. Droughts lead to water scarcity, stunting crop growth, and cause substantial economic losses for farmers.

At its 39th Board meeting, the GCF approved a climate project with investments worth USD 52.3 million to help Malawi cope with the devastating effects of climate change and boost the country's long-term food security. Led by FAO, the project is set to benefit nearly 575 000 vulnerable people in rural communities over six years...

Gita Adikhari realised something significant had changed when her farm in the Jhapa District of eastern Nepal yielded nearly double the amount she would normally harvest.

Cocoa producers in Côte d'Ivoire have faced increasing climate challenges, as cocoa crops are highly sensitive to weather changes. With support from FAO and the Green Climate Fund, they have adopted agroforestry practices, making the crops more resilient and boosting yields. “I've noticed that the cocoa trees are developing well, and the yield from my plantation has increased considerably,” says cocoa farmer, Monique N'Guessan Amlan...

The new Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST) Partnership website has just launched. Explore it today lo learn more about how we can strengthen climate investments in agrifood systems.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the COP28 and COP29 presidencies have today called for an urgent scaling up of climate action and financing for adapted and resilient agrifood systems in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

In consideration of the persistent debates about what role bioenergy should play in support of climate and sustainable development goals, and acknowledging the most recently available scientific evidence, the undersigned organizations issued the following joint statement. 

Seeing agriculture and food security so prominent in the Bonn session is a good sign that COP29 can deliver on placing agrifood solutions at the heart of the climate action agenda, FAO Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment, Kaveh Zahedi has concluded at the close of climate talks in Bonn.