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The State of the World's Forests 2020
22/05/2020

The 2020 edition of The State of the World's Forests examines the contributions of forests, and of the people who use and manage them, to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. It assesses progress to date in meeting global targets and goals relating to forest biodiversity and describes the effectiveness of policies, actions...

Comparing crises: Great Lockdown versus Great Recession
08/05/2020

A comparison of the Great Lockdown of 2020 underway with the Great Recession of 2009, reveals some regularities, yet many differences. Notably, the shock associated with the Great Recession arose out of economy-wide stress, particularly high-income countries, while in direct contrast, the Great Lockdown was borne outside of the global...

Early Warning Early Action Report on Food Security and Agriculture (Q2 2020)
27/04/2020

Across Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands and Latin America, FAO has successfully implemented a range of Early Warning Early Action projects to mitigate the impact of droughts, severe winters, animal diseases and forced migration. Timely support has proven to protect and empower communities, giving them the confidence to carry on...

Global Report on Food Crises 2020
21/04/2020

The Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) 2020 is the result of a joint, consensus-based assessment of acute food insecurity situations around the world by 16 partner organizations.The number of people battling acute hunger and suffering from malnutrition is on the rise yet again. In many places, we still lack the ability to collect...

COVID-19: Channels of transmission to food and agriculture
10/04/2020

This paper aims to identify the channels of transmissions of the COVID-19 pandemic into the food and agriculture sectors and, based on this, to delineate the degrees of exposure to the COVID-19 shock by geographic region. Primary production, trade and final consumption are analysed in detail and, where possible, quantified....

Addressing the impacts of COVID-19 in food crises
10/04/2020

The document presents FAO's component of the COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Appeal, focusing on maintaining operations in food crisis contexts, anticipating the secondary impacts of the pandemic and related containment efforts on the world's most vulnerable people and sustaining critical food supply chains to avert future food crises.

Mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on food and nutrition of schoolchildren
10/04/2020

This joint note from WFP, FAO and UNICEF intends to provide government decision makers, school administrators/staff and partners with preliminary guidance on how to support, transform or adapt school feeding (in the short term) to help safeguard schoolchildren’s food security and nutrition during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specific recommendations are provided...

Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts
04/04/2020

Although the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security is difficult to predict, particularly at this early juncture, some risk factors can be identified. Lessons from previous pandemics or global crises indicate that food security could be rapidly and dramatically affected, particularly in fragile countries and, within them, the...

Ample supplies to help shield food markets from the COVID-19 crisis
02/04/2020

Global cereal markets are expected to remain balanced and comfortable despite worries over the impacts of COVID-19. While localized disruptions, largely due to logistical issues, pose challenges to food supply chains in some markets, their anticipated duration and magnitude are unlikely to have a significant effect on global food markets....

COVID-19 and the risk to food supply chains: How to respond?
30/03/2020

Countries have shut down the economy to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Supermarket shelves remain stocked for now. But a protracted pandemic crisis could quickly put a strain on the food supply chains, a complex web of interactions involving farmers, agricultural inputs, processing plants, shipping, retailers and more. The...

The Right to Water for Food and Agriculture
27/03/2020

Seeking inspiration from the right to adequate food and from other fields of international law, the study explores the content of the right to water for food and agriculture and then considers its implications for water law. Recognizing a human right to water entails the respect for procedural rights and...

Maintaining a healthy diet during the COVID-19 pandemic
27/03/2020

Good nutrition is very important before during and after an infection. Infections take a toll on the body especially when these cause fever, the body needs extra energy and nutrients. Therefore, maintaining a healthy diet is very important during the COVID-19 pandemic. While no foods or dietary supplements can prevent...

Appeal for rapid response and anticipatory action in the Greater Horn of Africa (January-December 2020)
06/03/2020

Desert locusts have rapidly spread across the Greater Horn of Africa in the worst infestation in decades. Despite control efforts, eight countries in eastern Africa are now affected (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania). The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United...

Antimicrobial resistance in food
01/03/2020

There is clear scientific evidence that food can serve as a vehicle of foodborne exposure to antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. This includes, but is not limited to foods from livestock and poultry, fish, and fruits and vegetables. Antimicrobials are important means to keep animals and plants healthy and to maintain animal welfare and food security. At the same time, it is...

The Global Economy of Pulses
24/01/2020

Pulses truly are nutritious seeds for a sustainable future, and can make an important contribution to the achievement of many of the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. The Global Economy of Pulses shows that there is a pressing need to close the large gap between potential and actual...