News archive 2010

Sea turtles have swum the seas for almost 60 million years, but decreases in their populations have many worried that long history could be coming to an end. A range of human activities imperil these gentle giants, including fishing. But fisheries is also an area where the know-how and equipment needed to reduce turtle deaths does exist. On World Oceans day, FAO is highlighting a new set of guidelines that can help.

The European Union (EU) has added €13.2 million to its funding of FAO’s efforts to boost agricultural production in developing countries worst hit by high food prices. This brings the total amount of the EU "Food Facility" funds channeled through FAO to an unprecedented €228 million.

International prices of key food staples have dropped during the first five months of 2010 according to a new FAO report. A fall in international prices of cereals and sugar were among the main drivers behind the decline. Still, the global cost of imported foodstuffs is set to reach $921 billion in 2010, 11 percent more than in 2009 but still short of the record mark of $1 trillion set in 2008, when the food price crisis was at its peak.

As reports that a virulent variant of Ug99 has been found in South Africa, FAO makes tracking the wheat disease easier with a new portal for farmers, scientists and policy makers. The agency's Rust SPORE system aims to deliver up-to-date information on the status of wheat stem rust, monitor new strains of the disease, and provide easy access to reliable data on a global scale.

Agriculture can potentially be part of the solution to climate change in ways that respect and support the development and food security requirements of developing countries, according to FAO. But to realize this potential, systematic and dedicated discussions and decisions are needed.

Lack of funds is jeopardizing FAO emergency operations in Chad where two million people risk hunger after drought and pest infestations slashed food production. FAO has only been able to mobilize $2.0 million of the $11.8 million it requested last November for agricultural emergency operations in the country as part of a UN inter-agency appeal.

Italy has announced a contribution of 1.2 million euros ($1.46 million) to compensate some of the world’s poorest farmers for conserving and propagating crop varieties that could prove to be the saviour of global food security over the coming decades.

Soaring food prices and the recent global economic downturn struck Lesotho hard. The European Union and FAO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), are assisting over 36 000 farmers in Lesotho, more than half of its vulnerable farmers.

An innovative FAO online learning program has been incorporated into the curriculum of Spain's Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), marking the first time that an FAO virtual learning course can be used by students to earn a recognized academic certificate and college credits.

With Agriculture playing a key role, the Europe and Central Asia region has achieved striking success in fighting poverty and food insecurity over the last ten years. But the international financial and economic crisis could threaten that process.