Support to family farming through improved production and market access is essential in the fight against hunger. With this idea as a basis, FAO and Italian food chain Eataly signed a Memorandum of Understanding covering collaboration during the International Year of Family Farming in 2014 . The agreement signed by FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva and Eataly CEO Nicola Farinetti establishes various initiatives, such as resource mobilization in support of family farmers in Africa and Latin America. Thus, part of the profits from the sale of certain products in the Eataly establishments will go to FAO projects in developing countries. This...

FAO has signed a new partnership agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC),the world's largest humanitarian network, to help improve food security and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities.FAO and the IFRC have agreed that FAO will provide technical guidance to complement IFRC's extensive network of 13 million volunteers - who in turn reach some 150 million people - to assist   poor households cope with threats and disasters that impact agriculture, food security and nutrition.FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said the partnership with IFRC was an important step...

FAO and the International Co-operatives Alliance (ICA)begin a new collaboration with the shared conviction that agricultural and food co-operatives must be central to any agricultural and rural development strategy. A Memorandum of Understanding that underlines this idea was signed today at FAO Headquarters by FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva and ICA President Pauline Green.“Co-operatives are back to FAO’s agenda. Bringing co-operatives back to the global agenda is also a priority request I receive from all African countries”, said FAO Director-General Graziano da Silva. “I believe that we did a really good job joining efforts during...

Many of the companies that are here today are present in many countries. This is important because what you do locally against hunger can quickly become global", said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva in a private sector partnerships meeting held today. At the meeting, Graziano da Silva announced that FAO has set up a multi-donor trust fund to allow private sector companies to financially contribute to the organization's work and support FAO projects and programmes. "I welcome and encourage you to join this partnership and kick start this newly established fund",he said. FAO Director-General explained that FAO...

Over 240 civil society representatives hailing from 175 countries across the world met today at FAO headquarters to begin their annual CSM Forum. During the next two days, these representatives will work to find consensus on key issues to be discussed in next week’s plenary meeting of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS).  “Social movements and civil society organizations played a key role in driving the reform of the Committee on World Food Security to make it into the main and most inclusive international and intergovernmental platform for policymaking on food security and nutrition within the United Nations,” Graziano da...