In today’s world, thriving often means rushing to the office early in the morning, with barely enough time to prepare breakfast. Lunch becomes a quick one-hour break, just enough to eat, but rarely enough time to think about where our food comes from. In this fast-paced modern life, productivity is...

The Swedish International Agricultural Network Initiative, under its fourth programme phase (2023 – 2026), invites its members to the regional network meeting to connect, network, and share ideas and experiences. The aim is to strengthen the network and provide opportunities for new connections and collaborations at the regional scale, thus...

In Malaysia, farmers and communities across generations have engaged in the age-old practice of preserving seeds as a means of protecting traditional agricultural heritage. However, the practice of seed saving has slowly been fading in Malaysia over the years. For one, intellectual property protection regulations from trade agreements may pose more constraints...

El país de la Federación de Malasia se encuentra localizado en el sureste asiático. Su territorio se compone por dos regiones, divididas por el mar de la China Meridional. La primera es Malasia Peninsular, que está ubicada en la península malaya, por lo que limita al norte con Tailandia y...

Malaysia’s economy is expected to expand at a faster pace in 2024. After experiencing weaker-than expected growth last year, Malaysia’s economy grew strongly in the first half of 2024, driven by robust private consumption, increased investment amid higher FDI inflows, and improved export performance. In 2024, the economy is forecast...

Forests harbour a large proportion of the Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity, which continues to be lost at an alarming rate. Deforestation is the single most important driver of forest biodiversity loss with 10 million ha of forest converted every year to other land uses, primarily for agriculture. Up to 30 percent...

Bioeconomy is credited as being one of the key pillars for the FAO Strategic Framework 2022–2031 to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. More than 60 countries and regions have a dedicated bioeconomy or bioscience strategy today, and many more are already implementing the bioeconomy with plans and...

Women’s capacity for entrepreneurship calls for more opportunities in alternative livelihoods to be made available for women in the coastal villages of Kuching, Sarawak. Coastal research in Sarawak, Malaysia, typically, does not target gender. Some projects have added gender-segregated data, but gender studies in fisheries generally remain unfunded. Given the difficulty...

Drawing on practical examples from eight countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, this Policy Brief focuses on the contributions that the territories and areas governed, managed and conserved by custodian indigenous peoples and local communities — ‘ICCAs – territories of life’ — make to food sovereignty and how,...

Tackling biodiversity loss is a growing priority for human survival. Introducing incentives for positive actions could play a key role in helping to reverse this loss. This paper explores the potential of using a novel approach to promote biodiversity conservation. Biodiversity credits or ‘biocredits’ are coherent units of measurement that track...

Bamboo and rattan are ideal resources for development that integrate poverty reduction and environmental sustainability. The International Network for Bamboo and Rattan’s (INBAR) priority is to give people, at all levels, the knowledge and skills they need for long-term development involving bamboo and rattan. Rattan is a natural material and...

Bamboo and rattan are ideal resources for development that integrates poverty reduction and environmental sustainability, and the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) priority is giving people at all levels the knowledge and skills they need for long-term development involving bamboo and rattan. Nowadays furniture is manufactured in the...

Although, rattan (climbing tree) is an ideal resource for development that integrates poverty reduction and environmental sustainability, the cultivation of rattans is only practiced on a relatively small scale. INBAR’s priority is giving people at all levels the knowledge and skills they need for long-term development involving rattan. Therefore, the...

A field trip to Teluk Bahang, a fishing village on the northwestern tip of Penang in Malaysia, shed light on the lives of small-scale fishers

The 33rd session of the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC) will convene in Putrajaya, Malaysia, from 7 to 11 March 2016, hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture & Agro-Based Industry, Malaysia. The conference will focus on the opportunities and challenges in the region and priority areas of...

Within the SPOTS Project, L’Oréal has committed to purchasing RSPO-certified production from smallholders in the Sabah Region (Malaysia) over five years, through a partnership with the NGO Wild Asia and its suppliers. The initiative gives these smallholders a long-term access to the international market, allowing them to improve their agricultural...

The third in the pace-setting series of symposia, SEAVEG 2016 will focus on improved nutrition and livelihoods, and will be held at the Putrajaya Marriott Hotel, Putrajaya, Malaysia, 6-8 September 2016. This symposium will highlight the critical importance of vegetables in Southeast Asia and identify technologies for increased vegetable production,...

Many innovations led by women are based on agroecological principles such as increasing diversity, using fewer pesticides, or building new relationships with consumers. Through small experiments women learn, get organised and strengthen their autonomy. They gain increasing recognition and visibility in their communities and increase their self-esteem. This positive spiral...

Women from small and marginal farming families doing SRI have been making the news in India for their adoption of a new approach that challenges the age-old beliefs and practices of rice farming. However, rarely one comes across mention of the impact of SRI on their wellbeing and their bodies.  ...

The International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) has uncovered well-grounded resolve to place family farmers as protagonists in addressing a number of challenges we face, from eradicating hunger and poverty to conserving natural resources. Nothing comes closer to the sustainable food production paradigm than family farming. The diverse set of...