As producers of the majority of the world’s food, family farmers not only contribute to food security and nutrition, but also fulfil economic, environmental, social and cultural functions in the areas in which they live. Despite this, family farmers are paradoxically among the world’s most vulnerable and food-insecure populations. The UN Decade of Family Farming, led by FAO and IFAD, is an opportunity to work together to create an enabling environment for family farmers. During the global launch of the Decade, a wide range of stakeholders came together for a three-day period to work on concrete actions to support...

Rome – Senator Guido Girardi, author of the Chile’s food labeling law, recently visited FAO for a working meeting with the Parliamentary Alliances team of the Partnerships division, taking the opportunity to present an update on the impact of the law.  The Chilean food labeling law, which entered into force in 2016, was the first of its kind and an important example of the role that parliamentarians can play in improving food security and nutrition. The law requires foods that exceed specified limits of sodium, sugar, and saturated fats to be clearly labeled as such, and imposes certain restrictions on advertising...

The global fight against poverty and hunger is far from over. Hunger has been on the rise due to a combination of factors including conflict, economic downturn and climate shocks: in 2017, the number of undernourished people is estimated to have reached 821 million, 41 million more than three years ago. Against this backdrop, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has begun to engage with parliamentarians and other non-state actors, redoubling its efforts in the fight against hunger and malnutrition, and strengthening partnerships in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  As part of this initiative, and...

Arusha – Recognizing the lack of progress in improving food security and nutrition situation in Eastern Africa, parliamentarians from nine nations have pledged to urge their governments to intensify their battle against food insecurity, malnutrition and hunger by enacting sound legislation and allocating adequate resources. During their first Annual Meeting, held from 15 to 17 April 2019 in Arusha, Tanzania, members of the newly-formed “Eastern African Parliamentary Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition" (EAPA FSN) expressed...

Legislative and policy measures on a variety of salient areas are critical to move closer to ensuring that everyone can feed oneself with dignity and achieve Zero Hunger by 2030 in Africa. This statement came out from the Pan-African Parliamentary Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition (PAPA-FSN) training facilitated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The event brought experts from FAO to promote a multisectoral approach to enhance the work of parliamentarians towards fostering an enabling environment to eliminate hunger. The training took place at the onset of the March Sittings of the Permanent Committees...