The 19th Session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM-19) opened today at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome, bringing together global experts, policymakers, and stakeholders for a week of discussions on strengthening international phytosanitary standards, addressing the increasing risks posed by plant pests and diseases, and advancing digital solutions for safe trade. 

The ongoing occurrence of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks across the world has highlighted the urgent need for actions to improve biosecurity, enhance surveillance, rapid response mechanisms, strategic risk monitoring and communication to safeguard the poultry sector and protect livelihoods and economies. The session will provide an update to FAO Members on the current avian influenza challenge, outline FAO’s support actions and strategic initiatives, and share information on the 3rd call for proposals for the Pandemic Fund.

The spread of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza, bringing losses of hundreds of millions of poultry worldwide with increased spillover into mammals, highlights the urgent need for strengthened biosecurity, monitoring and surveillance, rapid-response mechanisms, and risk communication to safeguard the poultry sector and protect livelihoods and economies. That was the message from a briefing by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to Member countries here today.

World coffee prices reached a multi-year high in 2024 - increasing 38.8 percent on the previous year’s average – mostly driven by inclement weather affecting key producing countries, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said today.

Mogadishu -  New data from Somalia shows that 4.4 million people could face hunger by April 2025, driven by worsening drought conditions, conflict and high food prices. 

The 23rd session of the Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CCFFV) has opened in Mexico City, with a warm welcome from Mexico’s Minister of the Economy and Under Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and opening remarks from the Codex Vice Chairperson, Codex Secretary and CCFFV Chairperson.

The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat donated 40 tablets to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) of Sierra Leone, to boost the country’s capacity to monitor pests and develop effective strategies to prevent and control outbreaks. Pests and diseases are major agricultural production and productivity bottlenecks in Sierra Leone requiring adequate, well-equipped phytosanitary personnel to effectively manage them and protect the country’s agriculture and trade

Many countries around the world are currently facing ongoing outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF). This viral haemorrhagic disease has a mortality rate of nearly 100 percent among both domestic and wild pigs, and at the moment no effective vaccine or treatment.

Rome – The FAO Food Price Index, the benchmark for world food commodity prices, declined in January, averaging 124.9 points during the month, down 1.6 percent from its December level. The drop was driven by significant decreases in the international quotations for vegetable oils and sugar, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported Friday.  

Rome–Many of the new satellites currently in Earth’s orbit are equipped to provide revolutionary tools and data to improve global food security and strengthen agrifood systems. A new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) aims to inform and guide an array of experts and policy makers on the various intersections of space technology and farming, forestry and land-use management as well as climate and environmental trends.

Changing patterns of climate variability and extreme weather events are negatively affecting all dimensions of food security and exacerbating other underlying causes of malnutrition in all its forms in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the 2024 Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition. 

Nearly a third of Lebanon’s population is facing acute food insecurity following the escalation of conflict in late 2024 and recovery from the impact of hostilities on agriculture and the economy is likely to be slow, according to a new food security assessment.

The rise in nitrogen fertilizers over the past century has significantly contributed to enhancing agricultural production and bolstering food security and nutrition for an expanding global population. Nevertheless, improper use of nitrogen can severely damage air, water, and soil quality, result in biodiversity loss, and exacerbate climate change.

Urgent action, in particular immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access, is required to address the widening famine in Sudan, where almost 25 million people face acute food insecurity, the Deputy Director-General of FAO, Beth Bechdol, told a UN Security Council meeting in New York.

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a set of globally traded food commodities, averaged 127.0 points in December, down 0.5 percent from November and up 6.7 percent from December 2023. For 2024 as a whole, the index recorded 122.0 points, 2.1 percent lower than the average value in 2023.

Four months after famine was first confirmed in Zamzam camp in Sudan’s North Darfur state, more areas in North Darfur and the Western Nuba mountains have been identified as experiencing famine conditions, as access to food and nutrition for millions of people across the country continues to deteriorate, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO,) World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF warned today.

Hunger in the Arab region worsened amid deepening crises in 2023, according to a UN report launched today by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has released its comprehensive Recommendations for the surveillance of influenza A(H5N1) in cattle – with broader application to other farmed mammals. This document comes at a critical time as the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus, particularly the clade 2.3.4.4b strain, continues its global spread from wild birds to poultry and now to mammals, including cattle.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has released its first major global assessment of salt-affected soils in 50 years. The report shows that nearly 1.4 billion hectares of land (just over 10 percent of the total global land area) are already impacted by salinity, with an additional one billion hectares at risk due to the climate crisis and human mismanagement.

Founded 20 years ago by Maria Pacheco, Wakami empowers rural Guatemalan women through sustainable business and education. Building on the women’s weaving abilities, Wakami started an initiative to help them generate income through handcrafted goods like bracelets. Their mission is to create cycles of prosperity for Wakami artisans, enabling them to improve their lives, and the lives of their families, while also protecting the environment.