Over its six decades, the Investment Centre has helped design more than 2,400 partner-financed projects in 157 countries, totaling over $257 billion in public investment when adjusted for inflation. This trend is poised to continue today, with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, European Investment Bank and New Development Bank among the Centre’s newest partners.

The global ceremony marking World Food Day 2024 took place in Rome, with participants underlining the need for universal access to enough diverse, nutritious, affordable, and safe foods. The event came amid growing global tensions and conflicts and climate shocks, which are among factors contributing to the challenge of hundreds of millions of people worldwide facing hunger and billions being unable to afford a healthy diet.  

In Ghana, a project recently implemented by FAO, in collaboration with Chef Fatmata Binta has given women farmers the knowledge that they can rely on an ancient indigenous West African cereal year-round. The project aims to support women fonio producers to enhance their cultivation skills and boost productivity and income.

World Food Day is live! Stay tuned throughout the day as we take you to Rome for the main event at 10am local time at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), with messages from the UN Secretary-General, Pope Francis and more events from around the world.

The World Food Forum’s (WFF) Global Youth Forum opened today at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), marking a week of activities dedicated to youth-led solutions and actions for transforming agrifood systems under the theme “Good food for all, for today and tomorrow”.

The fourth edition of the World Food Forum (WFF) flagship event, the largest annual gathering of agrifood systems stakeholders globally, opened today with a high-level ceremony at FAO headquarters in Rome. Running from October 14 to 18, the event brings together global experts, young changemakers, investors, and visionary leaders to create new pathways for a sustainable, inclusive, and food-secure future.

Spanning six countries, EWAT promotes women’s participation in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The programme’s objective is to increase women’s competitiveness in trade through strengthened knowledge, skills and access to finance, capitalizing on the new prospects for regional trade created by the AfCFTA agreement.

 Indigenous and non-indigenous researchers, experts and officials from across the globe gathered today at the Global-Hub on Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems, whose opening ceremony was held in a Nomadic tent of the Saami People from the Artic, transforming a space in the heart of Rome into an Indigenous Peoples’ territory.

Aspiring and established plant scientists from around Africa gathered in Kenya’s capital for a workshop co-sponsored by FAO to review what has been achieved so far by the African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC). The AOCC has empowered more than 172 scientists, nearly 40 percent of whom have been women, and 28 African countries in the use of genomics-assisted approaches to crop improvement.

Experts from the FAO Agrifood Systems and Food Safety Division accompanied officials from the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) on a tour of the n!Biomachines facility, a Canadian subsidiary of German company The Cultivated B, located in Burlington, Canada. 

The FAO Farmer Field School (FFS) introduced Jacqueline to several innovations that helped revolutionize her farming. The biggest of these changes was turning FFS groups into cooperatives, with a focus on connecting farmers to markets. Now part of a cooperative, she wasn’t just learning better techniques—she was becoming part of a larger network that would help her access markets, sell her products and boost her income.

On 10 October 2024, stakeholders from various parts of the world gathered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for a global meeting on cell-based food and precision fermentation. The meeting welcomed approximately 60 participants, including representatives from various departments and agencies of the Government of Canada, to discuss various technical issues around foods derived from cell culturing and precision fermentation.

Within the global context of an increasing number of crises due to unabating conflicts, extreme weather events and economic shocks, Director of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Rein Paulsen was in Washington, D.C. for the Inter-agency Standing Committee (IASC) Deputies meeting, where he also met with high-level officials from USAID and U.S. Department of State.  

FAO successfully concluded the Training of Trainers on Nutrition and Fuel-Saving Techniques for women in the conflict-affected BAY states of Nigeria —Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe. As a key component of the project "Emergency Agriculture-Based Livelihoods Sustenance for Improved Food Security and Nutrition in Northeast Nigeria," funded by USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), the programme aims to tackle the pressing issues of food insecurity, impacts of climate change, rising fuel costs, and limited access to essential resources in these conflict-affected regions.

The benchmark for world food commodity prices saw its fastest increase in 18 months in September, with quotations up for all covered commodity groups, led by sugar, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported Friday.

FAO announces its strong support for the Pandemic Fund’s recent decision to fast-track USD 128.89 million in funding to combat infectious disease threats, including mpox, across 10 countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. This critical financing will strengthen pandemic preparedness and response efforts, specifically targeting vulnerable communities affected and at high risk of infection by mpox and other emerging zoonotic diseases.

The international market for cocoa is growing rapidly due to the rising demand for premium chocolate products. FAO training in best practices for cocoa production and processing is helping cocoa farmers on the island of Saint Lucia position themselves to take advantage of this opportunity. 

The latest assessment using satellite data produced by FAO and the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) shows escalating damage to farmland and agricultural infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, further exacerbating the humanitarian and hunger crisis resulting from the ongoing conflict.

Through USAID's "Strengthening Rural Livelihoods and Food Security Programme" in Afghanistan, implemented by FAO, 1 500 women-headed households received beekeeping packages across eight provinces in 2024 and another 1 500 women-headed household will receive the same package in 2025. Amina, one of the recipients, was provided with essential equipment, including four improved beehives, protective gear, and training. Previously, she worked as an agricultural laborer, supporting her family on 1.5 jeribs (0.3 hectares) of land, with one cow and five goats. Read Amina's story.

The 29th Session of the Committee on Agriculture (COAG) opened today at the Rome headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), seeking to address the urgent need to transform agrifood systems amid persistently high global hunger figures and mounting challenges.