23 April is a symbolic date for world literature. It is on that date in 1616 that Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died, while it is also the birthday of many other famous authors, including Maurice Druon and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. In fact, that’s why 23 April was designated as World Book and Copyright Day! It’s a chance to celebrate books, authors, publishing and everything reading-related.
And with that in mind, what better time is there to delve into some new reading material? FAO produces many publications every year on a wide range of topics ranging from climate change and COVID-19 to forests and food security. Many publications are available in six languages too, so whether you’re looking to boost your knowledge or learn something new, there’s a publication for everyone.
To celebrate World Book Day, the FAO team has put together some highlights – so have a browse and dive on in.
COVID-19 and the risk to food supply chains: How to respond?
It would be impossible to recommend reading and not mention FAO’s range of material on the topic of the year: COVID-19. This policy brief discusses the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on supply chains around the world, examining the complex web of interactions involving farmers, agricultural inputs, processing plants, shipping and retailers and outlining how they have been affected. It then goes on to recommend measures to keep supply chains going in these times of crisis.
The impact of disasters and crises on agriculture and food security: 2021
In the last couple of years, we’ve seen many natural disasters and crises, from megafires and desert locust swarms to extreme weather events and, of course, the recent pandemic. But how have these affected the agriculture sector?
Agriculture underpins the livelihoods of over 2.5 billion people – most of them in low-income developing countries – and remains a key driver of development. At no other point in history has agriculture been faced with such an array of risks. This report makes a powerful case for investing in resilience and disaster risk reduction to ensure agriculture maintains a crucial role in achieving the future we want.